GSB Exclusive: MOHAI Resource Center Behind-the-Scenes tour 8/11

Still want to know more? Here's a brief background about MOHAI’s extensive artifact collections:
 
The museum's Sophie Frye Bass Library preserves and provides access to over 4 million historic photographs, as well as manuscripts and archival holdings, maps, books, posters, motion pictures and printed ephemera. The collections cover the Seattle metropolitan area and certain subjects of the rest of Washington State and Alaska. Archival holdings include business and organization records, personal papers, photographers' collections, and historical research documents. The library is open to the public for research purposes on an appointment-basis only.
 
MOHAI’s three-dimensional collection is comprised of some 100,000 objects and is not open to the public. The museum’s collection includes souvenirs from Seattle-area events, like the 1962 World’s Fair and the 1999 WTO riots, artifacts related to local businesses and industries, locally designed and invented products, recreational equipment, maritime objects, paintings by local artists, clothing and textiles dating from the early 1800s to the present day, and everyday household items from the period of Washington settlement through the World Wars and up to the present day. Objects are stored according to a classification system, based on how an object was made to be used.
 
MOHAI's diverse artifact collection includes smaller objects, as well as objects that are more sensitive, such as ivory carvings, baskets, firearms, and paintings. In addition, the collection includes textiles, clothing and furniture. There is a unique collection of over-sized vehicles – such as a Model T, one of two remaining original Yesler cable cars, Al Young’s drag racing car, the first (and locally designed) fiberglass kayak, and a Chris-Craft wooden speedboat.

Also keep your eye out for:
-One of the original Starbucks A-frame sidewalk signs, complete with the full original logo  (mermaid with full body and tail, which was considered a bit controversial as her chest is exposed)
-An original sign from Microsoft’s office in Redmond (the logo used from 1987-2012)
-The NY Stock Exchange Trading Post #4 (from the original NYSE interior) which represents a variety of Western companies including Boeing
-Two grams of the first legally sold recreational marijuana in Seattle—a sweet Lafayette strain donated by a 65 year old woman along with the clothes she was wearing that day.
The MOHAI Resource Center also has a series of artifacts around games that were initially created in Seattle, including Pictionary and Dungeons and Dragons
And of course a wide collection of Seattle’s iconic neon signage
 
Remember that many of these items are under special storage conditions and will not all available for personal inspection but still viewable.

Directions and Parking information:

MOHAI Resource Center (5933 6th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108)” from www.mohai.org/index.php/about-us/faq

This is NOT in South Lake Union.

Lots of street parking in surrounding blocks