CC SR 20260707 01 - Palos Verdes Historical Society Museum
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 07/07/2026
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA TITLE:
Consider entering a Memorandum of Understanding with the Palos Verdes Historical
Society for a future museum at the Ken Dyda Civic Center.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
1) Receive and file the Civic Center Advisory Committee’s recommendation that the
City Council enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Palos
Verdes Historical Society (PVHS) to repurpose one of the Nike missile silos and
the area above it at the Ken Dyda Civic Center for a potential future historic
museum;
2) Provide direction on desired components to be included in the proposed MOU; and
3) Direct Staff to work with Palos Verdes Historical Society and the City Attorney to
draft an MOU for the City Council’s consideration at a future meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT: There are no anticipated costs in preparing an MOU besides legal
and staff time.
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Matt Waters, Senior Administrative Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Dan Trautner, Director of Recreation and Parks Department
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. March 26, 2026 Civic Center Advisory Committee staff report (link)
B. April 1, 2025 City Council staff report (link)
C. November 6, 2024 City Council staff report (link)
D. February 21, 2023 City Council staff report (link)
E. November 15, 2022 City Council staff report (link)
BACKGROUND:
The Palos Verdes Historical Society (PVHS) was founded in 1976 and manages an
extensive collection of artifacts and documents, pursues recognition of historical sites in
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the Palos Verdes area, and conducts educational lectures and tours. PVHS operated a
museum occupying three rooms at Malaga Cove School until the Palos Verdes Peninsula
Unified School District closed the facility in 2006 . Since that time, PVHS has kept its
artifacts in storage, with a significant portion currently stored in a trailer at the Ken Dyda
Civic Center.
On November 15 2022, PVHS approached the City about potentially building a museum
that would display a wide range of exhibits from PVHS’ collection (Attachment E). In
response, Staff analyzed a number of possible locations and concluded that Upper Point
Vicente and Lower Point Vicente were the best possible locations. At that time, PVHS
President Dana Grahama indicated that PVHS was interested only in the Lower Point
Vicente site.
On February 21, 2023, the City Council received a presentation on the PVHS Museum
proposal at Lower Point Vicente and ultimately decided to receive and file the report-
taking no additional action at that time (Attachment D).
On October 1, 2024, Councilmember Bradley requested staff bring back an update on the
proposed museum annex at Lower Point Vicente.
On November 6, 2024, former Mayor Ken Dyda, the founder and former President of the
PVHS, made an updated presentation to the City Council on constructing a museum at
Lower Point Vicente (Attachment C). The proposal sought City Council endorsement to
proceed with submitting a development application for the construction of an
approximately 5,000-square-foot museum adjacent to Point Vicente Interpretive Center
(PVIC). The proposal noted that PVHS would pay for the construction, and the building
would then be deeded to the City. Furthermore, PVHS proposed managing and
maintaining the exhibits while proposing the City cover all costs relating to staffing,
operations, and ongoing maintenance of the facility. In response, the City Council directed
Staff to return with an update that included an analysis of the estimated staffing ,
operations and maintenance costs for a 5,000 square foot museum.
On April 1, 2025, the City Council received a report (Attachment B) noting that the annual
City cost in 2025 dollars for staffing, operating, and maintaining a 5,000 square foot
museum would be approximately $458,000. The report also noted that the proposed
museum annex at Lower Point Vicente would be subject to review by the Department of
Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the California Coastal Commission (CCC), and the
National Park Service (NPS). While the DTSC and CCC did not identify any major
impediments to the proposal, NPS expressed concerns.
Lower Point Vicente is on the site of a former U.S. Army base and is subject to a federal
Program of Utilization (POU) detailing how the property is to be used for recreation
purposes in perpetuity. NPS stated that Lower Point Vicente was to be used as an ocean
viewpoint, with picnic areas and a marine interpretive facility. NPS noted that the current
PVIC museum was intended to be a low-profile building displaying information relevant
to the site including displays on local biological species, geology, Catalina Island and
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cetacean species. NPS emphasized that PVIC was determined to be consistent with the
POU because of its site-specific nature which allows visitors to experience an enriched
experience of the site. NPS noted that PVIC enhances the public outdoor recreational
use of Lower Point Vicente. NPS stated it did not see how the proposed PVHS museum
“would build upon the current Interpretive Center exhibits or why it would be needed or
helpful there.” NPS questioned if the proposed museum annex’s educational mission was
site specific.
In response to the April 1 presentation, the City Council received and filed the report and
took no further action.
On November 19, 2025, at the request of City Manager Ara Mihranian, Dana Graham
and members of the PVHS Board toured the Ken Dyda Civic Center (Civic Center)
campus including the Battery Barnes site (potential future location of Wayfarers Chapel)
and one of the two underground Nike Missile storage areas. During this tour, City
Manager Mihranian described the vision of the Civic Center indicating that when fully
developed, it would be comprised of different programmatic zones including a proposed
cultural arts zone within the area of the Nike Missile Silos.
During the site tour, Staff indicated that the location had sufficient space for a museum
both above ground and within the underground silo. The location also has tremendous
views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina. Staff emphasized the opportunity for the
museum to be an early linchpin of the long -term effort and vision to develop a Civic
Center Campus Master Plan. Staff and PVHS also discussed that the potential re-
building of Wayfarers Chapel, which would generate strong public interest, would make
the overall Civic Center location even more attractive to PVHS as a destination for
visitors interested in the arts, culture, and history.
On December 17, 2025, Mr. Graham notified the City that PVHS was interested in
utilizing and repurposing the Civic Center missile silo location for its future potential
museum. He noted that obtaining a firm commitment from the City would be essential to
generate the necessary funding through a capital campaign for developing a design and
completing construction. In response, Mr. Graham was advised that their proposal would
first be presented to the Civic Center Advisory Committee (CCAC) for their review and
recommendation to the City Council, as summarized in the next section.
DISCUSSION:
CCAC Review
Due to the proposed location of the museum within the Civic Center campus, the PVHS
request was initially presented to the CCAC at its March 26, 2026 meeting. At this
meeting, Staff presented an overview of PVHS, its collections, and its recent efforts to
identify a site for its proposed museum. Staff discussed the November 19, 2025 site tour
of the missile silo and PVHS’s interest in pursuing a commitment from the City for that
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location.
The CCAC and PVHS discussed that the potential combination of a restored Battery
Barnes, a re-built Wayfarers Chapel, a brand new PVHS museum, accessible Nike
Missile Silos, and the extensive World War II and Cold War history associated with the
site, could create a synergistic effect that would enhance public awareness and increase
the amount of foot traffic at the site. City Manager Mihranian noted that he has had
conversations with members of the art community in the South Bay to consider
repurposing the other missile silo into an art gallery. Cumulatively, this could make the
overall site more appealing for donors and fulfill the vision of a cultural arts zone within
the overall Civic Center campus.
Below is a conceptual rendering showing the potential locations of the PVHS museum,
art gallery space, and a village green/public commons.
Staff discussed with the CCAC that the MOU would provide a non-binding, collaborative
framework that would increase PVHS’ ability to raise awareness and funding. If sufficient
funds are raised, the City and PVHS could then discuss entering into formal negotiations
for a binding contract for PVHS to construct the museum and then operate the museum
under a long-term formal lease. The MOU would be an initial step to establish the broad
details of a shared, collaborative vision.
At its March 26, 2026 meeting, the CCAC unanimously recommended to the City Council
that the City enter into a MOU with the PVHS to commit repurposing one missile silo
(and the ground surface above it) for a potential historic museum (Attachment A).
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Proposed MOU
Staff subsequently met with PVHS Board Members to discuss the structure and
components of an MOU on June 10 and 22, 2026. The agreed-upon approach was to
identify the main components of an MOU for City Council’s consideration and based on
their direction, return at a later Council meeting with a draft MOU that would be prepared
with the assistance of the City Attorney.
Below is a list of suggested components to be included in the MOU for the City Council’s
review and input:
• Time Frame: A five-ten-year non-binding good faith commitment for PVHS to raise
funds and develop a project design.
• Location: The underground missile silo (approximately 65’x 60’) and the general
area above it including immediately above the missile silo.
• Estimated size: 5,000 square feet of interior space. Subject to change during the
design process.
• Likely Design Elements: Exhibit galleries, office, storage, gift shore, lobby, lecture
hall, kitchen, patio, landscaping, parking.
• Design and construction: All design and construction expenses will be borne by
PVHS.
• Establish a preliminary framework for the project.
• General discussion of a long-term occupancy lease.
It should be noted that PVHS also informed Staff that they would bear the cost of staffing,
utilities, security, and maintenance at the proposed museum.
Based on City Council input, if deemed acceptable, direct staff to return with a Draft MOU
for the consideration by the City Council.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommend that the City Council receive and file the CCAC’s recommendation for
the City Council to enter into an MOU with the PVHS for an historical museum, provide
direction on the proposed components of the MOU; and direct Staff to work with PVHS
and the City Attorney to draft an MOU for the City Council’s consideration.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to Staff’s recommendations, the following alternative actions are available for
the City Council’s consideration:
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1) Reject CCAC’s recommendation thereby directing staff to discontinue any further
discussions with PVHS on locating a museum within one of the missile silos.
2) Identify a different location at the Civic Center Campus for a potential future home
of a PVHS museum.
3) Take other action as deemed appropriate.
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