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| Valley Relics Museum | |
|---|---|
| Name | Valley Relics Museum |
| Established | 2013 |
| Location | North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California |
| Type | Local history museum |
| Founder | Mike Haagen |
Valley Relics Museum
The Valley Relics Museum is a private museum in North Hollywood dedicated to preserving artifacts related to the San Fernando Valley and Southern California popular culture. Founded by collector Mike Haagen, it houses extensive collections of music memorabilia, television props, automotive artifacts, and signage from historic commercial districts such as the Van Nuys and Burbank corridors. The institution positions itself among regional attractions that celebrate Los Angeles heritage alongside entities like the California African American Museum, Autry Museum of the American West, and Museum of Neon Art.
The museum originated from Mike Haagen’s private collection and opened publicly in 2013, reflecting trends in community-driven preservation seen in projects like the Griffith Observatory restoration, Historic-preservation initiatives in Los Angeles County, and grassroots archives such as the Huntington Library accessory collections. Early exhibits drew from the cultural boom tied to Hollywood television production during the 1950s–1990s, regional automotive history connected to the Pacific Coast Highway car culture, and commercial signage rescued from redevelopment projects in San Fernando Valley. Over time, partnerships with local institutions including the Los Angeles Public Library and neighborhood councils in Valley Glen, North Hollywood Arts District, and Toluca Lake expanded its reach. The museum relocated to a larger warehouse space in Chatsworth to accommodate growing donations and large-scale artifacts associated with Route 66-era businesses and American Graffiti–era memorabilia.
Collections emphasize artifacts from television studios in Burbank, Canoga Park sound stages, and the broader Los Angeles entertainment industry, featuring items linked to shows produced at facilities like the NBCUniversal lot and the Warner Bros. Ranch. Exhibits include vintage neon signs salvaged from diners and theaters, automotive displays highlighting vehicles from Hot Rod culture and custom shops related to builders in Pomona and Irwindale, plus music displays referencing acts that worked in the Valley such as session musicians who recorded at A&M Studios and venues like the Whisky a Go Go. The museum’s prop and costume holdings connect to productions shot in the region, evoking companies like Paramount Pictures and producers associated with the Golden Age of Television. Rotating exhibits have referenced regional events such as celebrations of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ history and retrospectives touching on the legacy of Chicano art movements in the San Fernando Valley.
Originally sited in Canoga Park, the museum’s facility includes a large warehouse-style exhibition space suitable for oversized artifacts like restored buses, neon marquees, and classic motorcycle collections associated with Southern California builders. The layout accommodates climate control for paper-based ephemera akin to standards at the Getty Center and secure storage modeled on practices from the Smithsonian Institution satellite programs. Accessible to visitors by major thoroughfares such as the San Diego Freeway corridor and near transit hubs serving Metrolink and Los Angeles Metro routes, the facility also provides space for educational workshops and community events.
The institution runs public programs referencing local history curricula used by the Los Angeles Unified School District and partners with neighborhood councils across San Fernando Valley communities, including outreach to cultural organizations like the Valley Cultural Center and local business improvement districts in NoHo Arts District. It hosts lecture series with guests from regional industries—producers from Universal Pictures, set designers from CBS Studios, custom car builders from Automobile Club of Southern California affiliates—and organizes car shows, sign-restoration workshops, and oral history projects modeled on initiatives at the California Historical Society. Volunteer programs draw from civic groups such as the Rotary International chapters and preservation advocates involved with the Los Angeles Conservancy.
Highlighted artifacts have included large neon signs from historic Valley theaters once associated with chains like Loews Cineplex Entertainment and AMC Theatres, custom cars linked to builders who competed at the Long Beach Grand Prix car shows, a collection of vintage pinball machines tied to arcades formerly located near Universal CityWalk, and television props from productions filmed at Warner Bros. Studios and NBCUniversal facilities. The museum also houses signage from bygone restaurants and motels along corridors once connected to U.S. Route 101 and State Route 134, as well as memorabilia connected to music acts that performed at venues near Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks.
Operated as a private museum and nonprofit partner to community organizations, governance involves a small executive team led by founder Mike Haagen with advisory input from local historians, preservationists, and industry professionals associated with firms like AECOM and cultural nonprofits including the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Funding streams combine admission revenues, private donations, artifact loans from collectors, and fundraising events drawing support from businesses across Los Angeles County and corporate sponsors in the entertainment and automotive sectors. The museum maintains conservation and accession policies informed by standards practiced at institutions such as the Museum of Art and History and collaborates on loans with regional museums and archives.
Category:Museums in Los Angeles County, California Category:History museums in California