I have been asked to forward this notice on to Museum-L. Please contact Bob and Gerry Bell directly for more information.
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Charlene Garvey
Network Coordinator, Museums Alberta: Information Network
Ring House #1, University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB T6G 2E2
phone: (403) 492-0776 fax: (403) 492-6185
email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.ualberta.ca/Museums/Alberta/Network/
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: September 1, 1997 3:52 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Museum sale
September 1, 1997
Dear Charlene,
In an earlier e-mail of March 13, 1997, you offered to post a notice
regarding our sale of the Old Strathcona Model and Toy Museum. We would very
much appreciate your including this information in the next time that you
access the Museum - related Listservs of which you wrote:
The OLD STRATHCONA MODEL AND TOY MUSEUM, [ 8603 - 104 St. Edmonton AB T6E
4G6 (403)433 4512 e-mail [log in to unmask] ] is looking for a buyer to
purchase one of the most unique museums ever created. This Museum is owned
and operated by co-owner / directors,. Bob and Gerry Bell who are looking to
retire after establishing this museum as a locally, nationally and
internationally recognized museum with popular appeal for families. It is
most appreciated by visitors eight to ninety eight! Open year round, June to
August bring repeat local visitors, national and international tourists,
some repeats or recommended by previous visitors and many who have learned
about us on our web page: http://www.connect.ab.ca/~bobbell/index.htm,
through local and international tourist guides, our being featured on NBC
Spokane News program "Cool North", CBC's "On the Road Again" and other TV
specials, as well as numerous other media sources. September to June brings
numerous individual visitors as well as school tours, church, hospital,
club and seniors groups to name a few - averaging from 15,000 to 20,000
visitors a year.
I will highlight a few sections of the following overall description from
which you may wish to include a few items since you will likely find that
there is too much information to include on the Listserver. Interested
parties should contact bob and Gerry Bell directly for further information.
The Property is located at the above address. The House is a large Edwardian
brick mansion situated on a double corner lot. The house is a designated
Historic site, built in 1907 by J.J. McKenzie who was on the first city
council of Old Strathcona and the fourth Mayor before it became a part of
Edmonton. Wiring, Heating and Plumbing have been made modern and we have
restored the house to top condition, relandscaped to enhance the property.
We opened our home as a museum 13 years ago.
Although it is our greatest wish to sell the complete museum and ensure that
it remains open, we may consider selling the property and the collection
separately.
About the Museum:
In October 1985, Bob and I opened the OLD STRATHCONA MODEL AND TOY MUSEUM, a
cultural, recreational, and educational facility located in the cultural
heart of the city of Edmonton known as Old Strathcona. The collection of
paper ( light card) models and toys is the only one of its kind in the
world, and I venture to say, that it is one of few collections created
entirely by the owners. Each model has been constructed and assembled by my
husband and myself over our forty year marriage. The models are constructed
from kits which have been obtained from all over the world as well as a
substantial collection of models which we have personally designed from
scratch and are of course, now kits - covering such subjects as the famous
RCMP musical ride, locomotives and local historical Old Strathcona buildings
to name a few which make up our Canadiana display. As a lifetime hobby,
paper modeling has held a place of importance and pleasure in our lives,
representing an art form dating back to fourteenth century Europe. It
represents a part of the cultural heritage of many Canadians of
Multi-cultural decent
Since opening the collection to the public, many have found pleasure in
touring our Museum. Our visitors from all over the world keep telling us
that they have never seen another museum to compare with it and are
concerned about its protection and survival. About 12,000 visitors tour our
museum on a yearly basis; many have left glowing comments in our guest book.
Our busiest season, of course, is from May to October when many of our
visitors are tourists from outside our city, from other provinces, the US
and foreign countries. Throughout the year, we have a many local visitors,
faithful regulars as well as numerous school, club and senior group tours
that rebook each year. They are delighted that we are open year-round as
many of Edmonton's tourist facilities shut down in winter. We provide a few
on site programs and several off site programs in the instruction of paper
modeling, Origami and Magic classes for beginners.
The collection consist of approximately 700 paper models and related
displays: replicas, to scale, of real castles, cathedrals, ships, boats,
planes, trains, birds, animals, etc. representing over thirty countries in
model form. Two special features - an operational N gauge model railroad- 30
feet of double track and additional trolley line through a setting
reproduction of Old Strathcona in our transportation room. The second
feature is an approximately 5 ' X 5' X 5 ft. wooden replica of a Tudor
style Victorian mansion decorated and furnished in authentically styled
miniature furnishings. This display was donated to the Museum by a frequent
visitor before her retirement. Displayed from time to time is our collection
of paper dolls and our pop-up book collection. On occasion we have permitted
private guest collections to be displayed.
The Old Strathcona Model and Toy Museum was the first Museum to open in Old
Strathcona, and has become a recognized tourist attraction for the city of
Edmonton and is internationally known. We are featured in Fodors Travel ,
Mobil travel guide, a glossy Japanese travel magazine, and AMA tourist
publications just to mention a few. We are also mentioned in Vacation books
and magazines like: Places to G0, Where Magazine, Hotel tourist books,
People to See, Things to Do All Across Canada by Joan Ables, An Alberta
Guide to Museums, as well as local and Canadian publications. Monica Hughes,
the famous children's science fiction author from Edmonton, dedicated her
novel, Castle Tourmandine, to Bob and me and the Old Strathcona Model and
Toy Museum because it was here she got her inspiration for her latest book.
I have been caricatured as one of the characters in her book. We were given
a full page promotion in Canadian Geographic Magazine in May of 1991, A full
article and Pictures in the Teaching Today Magazine, 1989, featured on NBC
Spokane News twice last Fall and were featured October 16 th on CBC, On The
Road Again with Wayne Ronstad last October. We received a call from the
producer of the show two weeks after it aired that the response was so
positive, that they showed it again in May and intend to show it again on
August 7, 1997. Everyone is always so amazed by our collection. The local
media, radio, TV, and newspapers have been very generous in their coverage.
We will be happy to provide more information as requested. We are a registered
not-for-profit Museum with a charitable number for issuing tax receipts. The
registration fee has been paid and all promotional materials are in print for the rest of
this current year. It is tedious and difficult to get charitable status and
takes years to get the world-wide promotional coverage that we have, so we
are concerned about not letting it lapse if someone plans to take over. We
plan to retire at the end of this year if we do not find a buyer, we will
be closing the end of December. It we be a great loss to Old Strathcona and
to the city if we cannot find a successor.
A single or couple owner/operator may wish to reside in the building, as we
do and keep the museum area as is. At present, the property is taxed as a
residence with only the gift store area designated and taxed as a business.
However, if this beautiful building were not a residence as well as Museum,
there would be a lot more room for expansion of the present collection and
gift store as well as provide space for workshops, functions and meetings.
A person might also wish to expand the collections to include more
traditional toys - given more room. Although both my husband and myself
offer some programming, our working hours, regular house/yard maintenance
and other commitments do not allow for the full potential of the museum to
be realized.
Because of the nature of our collection and the fact that not all displays
are protected by show cases, we have been unable to provide tours to
children under eight years. This preschool and primary group of potential
visitors is lost to us at present and we have had so many requests for tours
and programs for this age group. The Museum is situated in a thriving
community and enviable location, housed in a registered historic site on a
beautifully maintained double property. We built a double garage and added a
parking pad for at least four cars at the back. There is also parking
possible on nearby streets. We have purchased and placed Museum signs in
six locations within old Strathcona providing direction to the museum.
Because of its designation, there are some restrictions regarding the
property but nothing that is not possible to live with. In fact, any
restoration that is carried out is financially supported by Historic sites.
normal upkeep is not covered. We have made all major and minor repairs
required and done some restoration of hardwood floors. The house and grounds
are in excellent shape. We also built a huge sunroom above the back porch.
The museum is so well established and recognized as a viable tourist
attraction, that it would require little effort to keep up our popularity.
We have an international reputation and with our recent involvement on the
internet, we are not only getting a tremendous number of visits to our web
page and requests for information about our museum, but we are listed under
numerous other categories linking us to web sites from NASA to hobbies and
cross referenced to museums, paper models, and origami, just to name a few.
Paper modellers world - wide are relieved to find another source of models
and are sending in orders to our gift store. The gift store is just
beginning to realize its potential, however we have always had enough sales
to replenish stock.. It could be quite vibrant with the right promotion.
If a reasonable entry fee were charged to visit the museum and the gift
store were promoted more than we have done, I believe that it would pay
enough to cover the cost of an employee and make a profit. If it continued
as a not-for profit museum as it is at present, any losses could be used as
a tax write-off. There has been enough interest over the years that it would
be easy to establish a group of volunteers. If desired, Bob and I would be
more than willing to act as advisors as needed or requested and even willing
to continue to make models for the collection if requested. We simply do not
wish to be involved full time or have the responsibility of ownership or
operating a museum any longer. We will never stop creating models, however,
we have taken the Museum as far as we can and it is time to move on.
Donations of models from patrons have been offered from time to time and we
have had offers of other toys which to date we have not been able to accept.
Expansion would never be a problem, control might be.
Our gift store has a large variety of paper dolls, the only place in
Canada you can get a vast variety of international paper model books and
kits as well as the largest collection of Origami books and papers in
Western Canada if not all of Canada. Our Origami people are concerned about
our pending closure as are our paper modeling people. For the last eight
years, I have organized an Origami Folding Festival where local folders
including myself display their art and encourage the art form. This year it
will be October 25 & 26th, 1997. The Consulate General of Japan and The
Edmonton Public Library co-sponsor this event. New Owners might be
interested in continuing this local festival as well as having an outlet for
other activities such as instructional programming. The "room at the top"
would be an ideal spot for a conference room and the large beautiful garden
would be ideal for special events. We have been asked, but have never
permitted private parties or functions other than our own to be held in the
garden. Perhaps even a tea room might be added as we have had requests for
such a venture. I am sure with a bit of creative imagination and
entrepreneurial spirit, one could come up with many more ideas. Our
greatest wish would be to have the Old Strathcona Model and Toy Museum
continue to be a vibrant part of our community.
We would be delighted to have any interested parties visit our facility to
evaluate its potential. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward
to hearing from them.
Yours respectfully,
Bob and Gerry Bell
Co-owner/Directors
OSMTM
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