It's Gainesville's best kept secret, the new attraction on NW 6th Street. The "Theatre of Memory Museum" has something for everyone.
The home-grown collection includes all sorts of things... music memorabilia, seashells, ancient scrolls and so much more. If one oddity does not intrigue you the next one will.
Bill Hutchison and his wife, Jennifer Johnson, bought the historic cottage to share their treasures with the world. It's just a mile from downtown Gainesville.
I spent hours there Saturday trying to take it all in. The director (Bill) gave me a tour.
This house of curiosities is a result of a lifetime of collecting. You enter the 1903 cottage in the first of twelve rooms, "The Wheelhouse". Bill has a thing for all relics round
and,
for the Beatles. The next room revealed his extensive Fab Four collection.
This curiosity cabinet was chock full of items from Liverpool's finest, from a pair of John Lennon's glasses to Russian Beatle Dolls.
The center room is devoted to Bill's love of music. He and his wife have already hosted small concerts there.
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| FEEL FREE TO BANG A GONG, TRY TUBULAR BELLS OR MAKE THE BOWLS SING |
Bill is a Viet Nam Vet. He shipped out in '68 and served in both the infantry and in the Army's entertainment division.
These crusty clown shoes sparked my interest. The previous owner probably wore them to keep people laughing for years.
An east wall was adorned with "scholar stones" collected from the far East. They are the rare ones
Most come from China, Korea, India, and Japan. I know of at least one dug up in the United States.
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| CORAL ROCK FROM COCONUT GROVE |
It's in my back yard.
In the Writing Room I saw fragile books, ancient scrolls and 4000 year-old stones inscribed with words. They were carved in cuneiform, the first known written language from Mesopotamia.
I thought it was weird that someone saved a tax bill for four centuries. Mine are quickly deposited in my "circular file".
"Borrow these and paint a masterpiece on the SW 34 Street's Graffiti Wall."
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(I can't decipher what the kids paint there either).
I might do that next week.
Bill let me hold thousand year-old spear points collected in North Florida. Some were still as sharp as steel.
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| LONG BRANCH SALON |
Being allowed to touch -or hold- many of the artifacts was one of things that endear me to Jen and Bill's theatre.
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| SHELL ROOM |
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| TEA ROOM |
It's places like this that make cities special. Who would ever visit Portland without a stop at the original Voodoo Donut Shop?
The Theatre a perfect compliment to the Harn and our amazing natural history museum on the UF campus. Yes, there's the cool Tool Museum on East University but the door is usually locked. Satchel's Pizza? It's a museum too. I tell visitors it's like having lunch at Pee Wee's Playhouse.
We've got the Matheson and Cotton Club museums too. Big museums and small, They tell the world who we are and make us proud to live here.
There you have it, twelve rooms for discovery on NW Sixth. Make plans to visit soon. The director (and collector), effervescent Bill, will probably be there to greet you.
Admission is free but donations are graciously accepted. Parking is easy. Head down the driveway and tie up your horse (or car or bike) in the back pasture. Heck I'll probably be there enjoying my 17th visit.
-Glenn
Theatre of Memory Museum
1705 NW 6th St., Gainesville, FL, 32609
Open Wednesday through Sunday.
10-30 - 4:30 p.m.
website: www.theatreofmemory.org
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