CORONADO — It takes a little effort to reach this community of picture-perfect bungalows, exotic gardens and broad beaches. Approaching from San Diego, one must cross the 2-mile toll bridge, take the pedestrian ferry or follow the peninsula via Imperial Beach. That makes commuting a challenge, but it doesn't stop 2 million people from visiting every year.
"People love a good excuse to come to Coronado," says Cynthia B. Malinick, executive director of the Coronado Historical Assn. And the association is about to give eager visitors a new reason to make the trek: the Museum of History and Art, which will open next Sunday.
Housed in the historic Bank of Commerce and Trust building, at the heart of downtown Coronado, the new museum will provide the 31-year-old association with a prominent showcase and much-needed space for its operations and public programs. The organization has been making do in a Victorian house, but exhibitions had to be stuffed into spaces designed as living quarters, and much of the collection was stored off-site. The new facility will provide three small galleries for exhibitions of art and local history, a room for lectures and other educational programs, compact storage for archives, a research library, offices, a shop and a cafe.
Exhibitions and related programs will pertain to Coronado history, Malinick says, but the subject encompasses a broader range of possibilities than might be imagined. The story of the Hotel del Coronado--the city's best-known establishment--is an obvious topic, as is the U.S. Navy's place in the community.
Artists and their work are also part of the mix. "A lot of history is art, and vice versa," Malinick says.
She is particularly pleased with the inaugural art show, "Obras del Corazon: Works From the Heart of Alfredo Ramos Martinez, 1934-1944," a display of 17 paintings and works on paper by a Mexican artist who spent many productive years in Southern California.
Ramos Martinez's work hasn't had a public presence in the city for several years, but he is remembered fondly as the painter of three murals at La Avenida, a popular restaurant across the street from the Hotel del Coronado. Painted in 1937, the artworks were removed before the demolition of the building, in 1995. One mural was donated to the city and will be installed in a public facility yet to be designated; the other two have gone into private collections.
