Background to Our New Museum

Burlingame and Hillsborough now have a bona fide museum. The Joint Powers Board has given The Burlingame Historical Society the ability to use the Burlingame Train Station as a space to have exhibits, displays and meetings.

Thanks to the cooperation of Caltrain and the Joint Powers Board, our Museum is now a reality - a reality that did not cost the City of Burlingame anything but has become a tremendous asset to our city.  A museum at the heart of our downtown is yet another jewel in Burlingame’s crown!

We have raised a substantial amount of funding in order to make this dream a reality. We appreciate Burlingame and Hillsborough residents and businesses for having rallied behind our fundraising goal. Case in point: moments after the agreement was officially announced at a Burlingame City Council meeting, an audience member gave the Society a check for $250.

The vision is to present 21st Century style displays inside a century old building. The integrity of the architecture must be maintained because our station is on the National Register of Historic Places, and this will require designing displays that will not be a detriment to the structure.

The financial burdens of a project like this are enormous. Maintaining our Museum will be a major undertaking, one with some unique challenges. Monies raised  will go towards display design and fabrication, programming and staffing as well as to meeting operational costs like simply keeping the lights on!   Now that the Museum is open, the monthly utility bills are the obligation of The Society. 

Donations can be sent to The Burlingame Historical Society-Museum Fund, PO Box 144, Burlingame, CA 94011. For questions call: The Burlingame Historical Society, 650-340-9960 or Russ Cohen, 650-348-6930.