When will Modesto classic car museum be complete? Here’s what you can see at Graffiti Summer

The classic car museum taking shape in downtown Modesto is a “work in progress,” Graffiti USA board member Chris Murphy says, but the public is welcome to get a look inside this weekend.

“Work” and “in progress,” he said, because the board’s goal is to operate through construction, which it will do Saturday during the free open house as other Graffiti Summer events flood Modesto streets.

“The key milestone that we’re celebrating right now is all of the infrastructure and the unsexy stuff is done,” Murphy said. “It’s like the structural beams, the steel reinforcement, the new sewer lines, new water line. All the stuff that doesn’t look like you’re doing anything, that stuff’s all done now.”

As the wheels start turning on this years-long project, and on the classic cars set to cruise this weekend, here’s what you can expect for the Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum:

Modesto museum open house details

The museum board members invite people to stop by to see the site’s progress and plans Saturday, Murphy said. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 610 N. Ninth St.

Cars will be on display in the reception lobby and the souvenir shop will be open for visitors to buy Modesto-themed shot glasses, T-shirts, license plate holders and more.

“Plus, you can see we have all of our blueprints and plans up so people that come through can actually look at what we’re doing,” Murphy said.

Visitors also can donate to the museum during the open house or on the museum’s website, which comes with an annual or permanent membership that has various levels of perks depending on the donation amount.

Admission during Saturday’s event will be free.

It all started with a museum in Iowa

About five years ago, founding Graffiti USA board member John Sanders walked inside a museum in Okoboji, Iowa, and saw the re-created streets of the nearby city Spencer.

“He just went like, ‘Oh, my God, this is it,’” Murphy said. “The whole thing of having the street capture the times was really what we knew we had to do.”

Murphy said they frequently are asked how they plan to keep the Graffiti spirit alive for the next generation, to which he answers: “It’s gotta be the music, the art, the chrome, the vibe.”

The board members looked at multiple spaces to bring their dream to life. Then, the building that hosted Warden’s Office Furniture for decades went up for sale.

They purchased the property from the Lyng sisters, who owned Lyng’s Pet and Garden Center before 1994, when the building became Warden’s.

“The Lyng sisters still owned it and they really liked our idea,” Murphy said. “So they kind of helped us and we did some work with engineering to split the plots.”

Murphy said the board members are excited not only to be near historic Highway 99 but in a building that was built in 1938.

‘The next chapter’ for Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum

Now that the not-as-visually appealing aspects of the museum are completed, Murphy said the next step will be to “punch the magic.”

“We’re basically kicking off our cruise to the top and starting to build out the interior, the reimagined 10th Street, the night skies, the visitors center and everything,” Murphy said.

Construction is working in three phases, with phase one completed. Murphy said the hope is by Graffiti Summer 2024, the 10th Street downtown experience will be built.

It has not been determined when all three phases of the museum will be complete, and the museum is open only periodically for open houses and special events.

Murphy said the idea of the project will be similar to Disneyland’s Main Street. It’ll have re-created storefronts, a radio station, banks and more.

“We want to bring the magic in so that the kids can dig it, the families can dig it and capture the spirit of 1962,” Murphy said. “The cars will be in there looking like they’re out for a night at the cruise.”

Murphy said the vehicles on display in the museum come from members of local clubs who volunteer to showcase their cars.

The cars will be rotated in and out of the museum so every time visitors come in, it’s a different experience, he said.

“Our goal is to have the best, the most unique and the most rare (cars),” Murphy said. “You should never be bored.”