Quick Action Saves and Volunteers Helped Reopen the Eccentric Treasure
Smoke and fire tore through the Museum of Jurassic Technology’s gift shop near Culver City this summer, forcing the offbeat institution to shut its doors, threatening decades’ worth of rare and whimsical exhibits. However, you can keep this determined institution down, and the museum reopened as of August 7.
The fire started late at night on July 8. According to an account shared by longtime museum chronicler Lawrence Weschler, Wilson, who lives behind the property, spotted the flames and rushed in with fire extinguishers. He emptied both into what he described as “a ferocious column of flame,” consuming the street-facing corner of the gift shop. When that wasn’t enough, his daughter and son-in-law arrived with a larger extinguisher, knocking back the fire before Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters arrived to ensure the fire was extinguished.
Founded in 1988 by David Hildebrand Wilson and Diana Drake Wilson, the Venice Boulevard museum is known for its eccentric mix of scientific curiosities, historical oddities, and surreal storytelling.
The museum, which narrowly avoided the total loss of its collections, has since undergone restoration and cleanup. It is now open Thursday through Sunday, with reservations required via its website.
