By Khalida Sarwari
Say goodbye to the salmon pink appearance of the building at 51 North Central Ave. After more than a decade, the Campbell Historical Museum is getting a new look with a burgundy, gray and black color scheme, reminiscent of a 1950s building.
But although the exterior of the building will look different, everything else about the museum will remain the same, including remnants of the city’s first fire station, such as the hose tower in the back.
For two weeks, beginning on Aug. 6, city maintenance crews worked on repainting and reconstructing parts of the tower, which entailed restoring the wood planks where the hoses were dried.
“The wood was old and sun-damaged, so those have been replaced and restored,” said museum director Karen Lange.
The rest of the museum will be painted in September by volunteers, including members of the Campbell Rotary Club.
“We had an architect who is well-versed in historic homes and buildings come, and she suggested the color scheme. Burgundy is really going to draw the eye and make this building pop,” Lange said. “We’re bringing out the historic features of the building.”
The Campbell Historical Museum was “in dire need” of repainting, said Lange. The building was constructed in 1951, a year before the city was incorporated, and up until the early 1980s was used as a firehouse.
It was the first building owned by Campbell and housed not only a fire station but also a police department and other city offices. The city turned the facility into a museum in 1986.
Though the city’s firefighters moved on to bigger and better firehouses, memories of the old fire station remain. The first indication might be the firehouse doors in front, which will be highlighted when the building is repainted. And inside the museum, what was once an area where fire trucks were parked is now gallery space.
“You can definitely tell it was an old firehouse,” said Lange. “It’s a historical site of interest, so we want to keep that.”
The renovations are being done in partnership with the Campbell Rotary Club, Home Depot and Behr paint. The club is recruiting volunteers and Behr paint is donating the paint. The project is not costing the museum anything, Lange said.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the project should contact call Lange at 408.866.2757 or email the Campbell Rotary’s Bob Carlson at rscarlson@earthlink.net.
Volunteers are encouraged to wear old clothes and shoes. Brushes will be provided.
The painting will be done in two shifts, with the first beginning at 8:30 a.m. The first painting day will take place on Sept. 8 and the second will be held the following weekend on Sept. 15.
As of late August, about 50 volunteers had signed up, said Carlson.
The renovation is not expected to interrupt museum hours.
