BELLINGHAM - The American Museum of Radio and Electricity has had its facelift. Now what it needs is a shot in the arm, said the museum's president and CEO, John Jenkins.
The museum's façade at 1312 Bay St. has been restored to its original brick, and tons of stucco have been removed to reveal the original second-story windows. Jenkins now hopes a new name, a new sign and a truly shocking new show will make his museum financially viable.
"The funding thing has always been an issue," he said during a tour of the museum earlier this week. "Part of the problem is ... the perception of the museum."
A neon sign highlighting the museum's new name - Spark Museum of Electrical Invention - was installed over the main entrance Thursday, Dec. 15. Removing "radio" from the museum's name and emphasizing invention was a conscious decision, Jenkins said.
"I wanted the name to reflect what we are about," he said, "which is the wonder and magic of electricity."
Strictly speaking, electricity is science, not magic, but Jenkins' collection of static-electricity generators, primitive batteries and crude electromagnetic coils tells the story of inventors struggling to make improvements when they hardly knew what electricity was. Rare pieces such as Thomas Edison's motor-driven electric pen help visitors appreciate the primitive origins of electricity, which eventually led to smart phones and supercomputers.
It's the museum's educational value that Jenkins values the most. Groups of children drop in regularly for hands-on experiences with quirky devices such as the Van de Graaff generator, which makes people's hair stand on end.
A more dramatic apparatus will be the centerpiece of a half-hour electricity show the museum plans to start in the spring. A nine-foot-tall Tesla coil generates a miniature lightning storm and a surprisingly loud electrical buzz and pop.
Jenkins refers to the show as "loud, scary fun for the whole family."
By charging extra for the show, and more aggressively promoting the museum using a $17,000 grant from the city's hotel-tax revenues, Jenkins hopes the museum can at least break even.
Officials at the tourism promotion group in Whatcom County say the museum has a fighting chance. The museum already gets an impressive amount of attention from travel writers, said Jacqueline Cartier, marketing director at Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism.
"They fall in love with it. They can't believe a town the size of Bellingham has a collection as amazing and extensive as they do," she said. "It's a great treasure for our community."
The new incarnation of the Spark museum will have a quiet opening this month, according to Jenkins.
"We'll roll over to the new name in the next couple weeks," he said.
A formal grand opening will take place in the spring, to coincide with the first electricity show.
John Jenkins' name and his affiliation with the museum were incorrect in an earlier version of this story.
WATCH A VIDEO
To see a video of the Tesla coil at the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention, go to bellinghamherald.com/tv.
