 | |
 Entrance to the Musée Mécanique atPier 45, Shed A | |
  Musée Mécanique Show map of San Francisco County Musée Mécanique (California) Show map of California Musée Mécanique (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | San Francisco,California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°48′33″N122°24′58″W / 37.8093°N 122.4161°W /37.8093; -122.4161 |
| Visitors | 100,000+ (2002)[1] |
| Director | Dan Zelinsky |
| Public transit access |  Jefferson & Taylor |
| Website | museemecanique |
TheMusée Mécanique ([my.zeme.ka.nik], "Mechanical Museum") is afor-profit interactive museum of 20th-centurypenny arcade games and artifacts, located atFisherman's Wharf inSan Francisco, California. With over 300 mechanical machines, it is one of the world's largest privately owned collections.[2]
The museum's original owner, Ed Zelinsky, began collecting at age 11. His games were exhibited in the 1920s atPlayland. In 1972 Playland closed and Musée Mécanique became a part of theGolden Gate National Recreation Area.[2] The museum moved into thebasement ofCliff House in 1972, just a few blocks north and across theGreat Highway from the Playland site.[3] Zelinsky's son, Dan Zelinsky, took a temporary job in the 1970s maintaining the collection.[4]
The museum was featured in the 2001 filmThe Princess Diaries[5] and in a 2011 episode of the Japanese television showGameCenter CX.[6]
In 2002, when renovations to the Cliff House had begun, theNational Park Service announced plans to relocate the Musée Mécanique temporarily to Fisherman's Wharf. A portion of the $14 million renovation was devoted to moving the museum, with support from the National Park Service, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and museum owner Ed Zelinsky.[1]
The museum's move sparked protests by San Francisco locals. Anonline petition was created opposing it, with over 12,000 signatures. Many of the protesters believed that the money was unavailable to fund the move and renovations, and many had strong feelings about the museum's historical andnostalgic significance from its history at Playland. Unaware of the museum's for-profit status, many of them attempted to donate to the museum to keep it at its current location. Despite public frustration, museum manager Dan Zelinsky remained excited about the move, understanding the historical and emotional connections locals held for the museum: "You have to understand that people grew up with these kind of machines... To the generation before, these were thevideo games. Many visitors haven't been here since childhood, but when they walk through that door, they are going back in time." Original plans were slated to have the museum return to the Recreation Area in 2004/5 on completion of construction,[7] but the museum remains at Fisherman's Wharf.[1] Despite the locals' love for the original location,National Public Radio described it as "cramped, noisy, damp and a little dingy."[4]
The Musée Mécanique is a for-profit[1] museum owned and managed by Dan Zelinsky.[8] The machines require constant maintenance, and some have undergone major restorations.[2] More than 100,000 visitors a year visit the museum. Admittance is free, but visitors must pay to use each game.[1] In 2011U.S. News & World Report called the Musée Mécanique one of the top three "Things to Do in San Francisco".[9]SF Weekly called it the "Best Old-School Arcade" for 2011.[10]
The collection was threatened on May 23, 2020, when a fire broke out at four A.M. on Fisherman's Wharf. It destroyed a warehouse, but was extinguished before it reached the museum.[11]
The museum has a collection of over 300[2] mechanical games and amusement devices includingmusic boxes, coin-operatedfortune tellers,Mutoscopes,[4]video games,love testers,player pianos,peep shows,photo booths,dioramas, andpinball machines.[1][2] It displays about 200 of them at their current location.[2]
The museum has many rare and historical pieces. A largediorama of a travelingcarnival with aFerris wheel and other rides occupies its center. It also owns what is believed to be the onlysteam-poweredmotorcycle in the world, built inSacramento, in 1912. The Royal Court diorama features couplesballroom dancing and was featured in thePanama–Pacific International Exposition.Laffing Sal, which has been described as "famously creepy", is a 6-foot-tall[4] laughingautomaton. The museum also owns a collection of machines made oftoothpicks by prisoners at San Quentin.[2]
| Culture | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Public art | |
| Transportation | |
