Boulder City museum says mortgage on Boulder Dam Hotel is paid off, announces $310,000 legacy gift

John Calvert, chair of the Boulder City Museum and Historical Association, told the City Council the mortgage on the Boulder Dam Hotel — which he said stood at approximately $950,000 in 2012 — has been paid off, and that the association received a legacy gift from the Dan Bunch Estate that Calvert said includes about $310,000 and dozens of Desert Sands pottery pieces.

The payoff and donation, Calvert said, "free up substantial resources, allowing us to focus more on our mission," and will support several initiatives the museum recently began, including restoration of the Avenue C (Fenton) House, creation of a research room and a digitizing room, and upgrades to permanent exhibits.

Hava Brown, the museum development officer, outlined program and sponsorship details for the council. Brown said the museum currently has about 171 members, 15 participating businesses in its discount program, more than 40,000 visitors overall, and 443 children who have taken guided tours this month. She credited a $12,000 grant from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for providing digitizing equipment and listed other support including a $10,000 donation from Boulder Dam Credit Union, recurring $1,000 sponsorships from San Diego Gas & Electric and Platinum Title, and a verbal commitment of $1,000 per year for five years from the Lions Club.

Jennifer Smith, the museum archivist, summarized recent accessions and digitization work, saying 15 donors contributed 39 items and noting several unique holdings — a 1937 8mm film and a 1935 Fortune magazine portfolio among them — that the museum is working to convert to digital formats to expand public access.

Council members and residents asked about volunteer roles, sponsorship levels, museum hours for the new research room (Brown said it will be open by appointment Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.), and how sponsorship dollars are applied to individual exhibits. Brown said the $1,000 sponsorship level corresponds to a specific exhibit, and said museum staff continue to recruit volunteers for digitizing and event support.

The presentation closed with the museum thanking the council for prior city funding — Brown said the museum received a $105,000 city grant last year — and noting plans to expand educational programming and online exhibits as digitization proceeds.

The council did not take action on the report; the presentation concluded with staff and council discussion of volunteer recruitment and exhibit sponsorships.