Museum Update, March 2026: Raising the Bones of a Historic Building

Mar 9

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Lodi community, the old City Hall and Firehouse is finding its strength again. Watching the future Lodi History Museum take shape has been an exciting journey, especially as the transformation becomes more visible!

The most significant milestone recently was the installation of structural steel supports. Certified welders from Valley Iron Works generously donated both materials and labor to weld the supports into place. From there, Brad Davis and Project Manager Scott Hamilton set the structural posts into their final positions, anchoring them to concrete footings. Terracon came in to perform special inspections, verifying that every anchor met torque requirements. After that, the temporary shoring from the first floor was able to the removed. Seeing the building stand on its own new footing was a big milestone for us!

Brad Davis also kindly helped build the forms for the structural reinforcement footings and teamed up with Mike Lear for the concrete pour. After stripping the forms, the soil was leveled and compacted in preparation for laying aggregate base for the concrete floor.

On a bright Saturday morning in March, our friend Mike Lear used his own equipment to move 38 tons of aggregate base into the building. The Lodi Firefighters & Brad made quick work of spreading and compacting the aggregate in preparation for new concrete floors. The speed at which this crew worked was impressive, to say the least!

We did, however, have one unwelcome visitor. In the early hours of February 10th, the front of the building was tagged with graffiti. Fortunately, the City of Lodi’s Graffiti Abatement service responded and removed it the very next day.

The Lodi History Museum is taking shape in a big way, but we still have a ways to go. None of this happens without skilled volunteers, donated materials, and the dedication of people who support our mission to preserve, protect, and promote Lodi’s history. We are so grateful for every person who has helped make this building go from abandoned asset to future Lodi History Museum!

As we move toward the next phases of this restoration, the question we hear most often is: "What can I do to help?" Stay tuned, we'll have an answer for you soon!! Can’t wait? Click Here to donate directly to the Historic Firehouse & City Hall Preservation Fund. This project is 100% community & volunteer funded. Thank you for your generous support as we bring our goal of a Lodi History Museum to life!