Huntington celebrates surf museum’s new home, opens with exhibit on 50 years of pro surfing

The old wooden boards now have enough room to stand upright on full display. A recently refurbished chrome statue of the “Silver Surfer” is a showstopper for selfies. And visitors can guide themselves through a tour of surfing’s history and the icons who shaped the sport and culture through the years.

Read more Trump orders new signs outside Smithsonian saying some exhibits are inaccurate

The Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum marked a new chapter with the opening of its new digs at the Main Street Library on Friday, July 24, a move a few blocks up Main Street from its longtime home.

The opening exhibit highlights 50 years of pro surfing world championships, since Peter “PT” Townend was first crowned in 1976. Much of the exhibit on display is part of Townend’s personal collection, including a surfboard he rode 50 years ago standing alongside 11-time world champion Kelly Slater and other champions through the years.

“I’m honored to be part of this historic celebration,” said Townend. “Looking back over the past 50 years reminds us how far professional surfing has come and how many incredible people have contributed to its growth. It’s exciting to celebrate that journey in the International Surfing Museum’s beautiful new home.”

The exhibition features historic photographs, championship memorabilia, surfboards, archival footage and personal artifacts that chronicle the evolution of professional surfing.

“This exhibition celebrates the pioneers who transformed surfing from a lifestyle into a professional sport while honoring the athletes whose vision and determination created opportunities for generations of surfers around the world,” said Fred Wilson, president of the museum’s board. “We are thrilled to open our new home with an exhibition that recognizes one of the most significant milestones in surfing history.”

The museum was founded by Natalie Kotsch, a Canadian who moved to Huntington Beach and fell in love with surf culture.

Kotsch, who died in 2014, dreamed of a place where people could see memorabilia and art, learn about surfing greats, and gather with others from around the world to celebrate the culture.

Artist Dave Reynolds talked about how pivotal the surf museum has been for his own career — on Friday a Peter “PT” Townend Excellence Award trophy he created to be handed out during the US Open of Surfing was showcased at the entrance.

His very first piece of art was put on display in the surf museum, launching a decades-long career. Today he is one of the top trophy makers in the surf industry.

“It’s just an honor to be involved and meet a lot of great people. You learn all about surfing history, and meet all kinds of incredible people, surf legends growing up,” said Reynolds, who helped with the graphics for the museum’s installation. “It’s come a long way.”

Read more Biden drops lawsuit seeking to block release of recordings of his interviews with a ghostwriter

Through the years, there have been talks about moving the museum or finding a bigger, more prominent location. In 2002, there were high hopes of raising $6 million to move the museum to a 20,000-square-foot building along Pacific Coast Highway, but those plans never came to fruition.

The Main Street Library is a 9,475-square-foot, two-story building, with the surf museum now set on the first floor in a 1,184-square-foot space.

An area currently used for reading programs during the day could also be turned into a special events space, fitting about 100 people.

The move and new location, a collaboration with Visit Huntington Beach, is part of the vision for the Huntington Beach Cultural Hub on the fifth block of Main Street that includes the library and the Huntington Beach Art Center and offers expanded gallery space, interactive exhibits and educational programming.

“Surfing is a part of the DNA of Huntington Beach. Surf City, USA, is not a tagline, it’s not a theme. It’s a vibe, it’s a brand, it’s the lifestyle and really it’s a living, breathing culture,” said John Urdi, president and CEO of Visit HB. “This is just an amazing opportunity.”

The move hopes to draw more visitors to revitalize the upper blocks of Main Street and give the museum a space with taller ceilings that could display the large wooden surfboards used in the early days.

Huntington Beach’s Rick Blake, who curated much of the exhibit, gave a walkthrough tour on Friday, showcasing the historic relics and a room filled with artwork from esteemed surf artists.

“There are such incredible surf artists who don’t get credit for what incredible artists they are. They are absolutely insane … these guys and girls need to be shown to the world; people need to see it,” Blake said. “This is going to be one of the only places you can get really incredible surf art.”

Blake said it is “mindblowing” how much the workers and volunteers were able to do to make the opening deadline as people filed in to get their first glimpse.

“We had this vision and a plan,” he said. “We want it to be clean and professional and legit and look like a real museum. These rooms were trashed. We got it all cleaned up.”

Read more Journalism retired to stud after suffering injury at Del Mar; horse ‘breathed a different air’