Cranes will hoist a collection of horse-drawn carriages from San Mateo's gilded-age estates into a new three-story gallery on Monday, Aug. 17, giving the public a rare chance to watch 19th-century vehicles float above downtown Redwood City.
The San Mateo County History Museum has already trucked eight carriages from its San Mateo warehouse to Courthouse Square, Patch reported on Monday, Aug. 10. The crane operation, staged from Middlefield Road, is open for public viewing as the vehicles are lifted into their permanent display space inside the new Taube Family Carriage House and Automobile Gallery.
The 15,000-square-foot addition, named for keystone donor Tad Taube, features glass walls and nighttime lighting so passersby can view the displays at any hour. A rooftop terrace can host up to 300 guests for events.
Among the pieces heading inside: Brewster carriages, many donated to the museum in 1973 by Lurline Matson Roth of Filoli, the Woodside estate she deeded to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1975. Another carriage once belonged to the Spreckels family of San Francisco and Woodside. A Studebaker Roof Seat Break, a Standard Oil wagon that once delivered gasoline to Peninsula businesses, and a buggy destined for a children's interactive exhibit round out the initial group. A rare Brewster carriage from a private Woodside estate and a 2,400-pound Light Park Drag, which must be disassembled before it can fit through the building, will follow.
The gallery will also display five oversized gilded mirrors from Baywood, the Borel Estate and Lindenwood, all historic San Mateo-area properties. Baywood was the 377-acre estate of John Parrott, built in 1868 and subdivided into housing in 1927, according to a history of San Mateo's great estates. The Borel Estate, home of Antoine and Grace Borel, stood until its mansion was demolished in the 1960s.
Museum officials said the Peninsula's great estates profoundly influenced how San Mateo County's Bayside developed.
The carriage house is part of the museum's broader expansion, which also includes a 2,700-square-foot natural history gallery and the restored Lathrop House. The museum's own capital campaign page lists the project as a $23 million effort with just over $1 million left to raise. Officials project 120,000 annual visitors once the expansion opens.
The grand opening celebration for all three attractions is set for Saturday, Nov. 7.
What's ahead
- Monday, Aug. 17 — Crane lift of carriages into the Taube Family Carriage House; public viewing from Middlefield Road, Redwood City.
- Saturday, Nov. 7 — Grand opening celebration for the Carriage House, natural history gallery and restored Lathrop House.
- The San Mateo County History Museum, at 2200 Broadway in Redwood City, is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free admission on the first Friday of each month.
