Museum Update: April 2026

We are so grateful to the Lodi community for stepping up and supporting the restoration of Lodi’s first City Hall & Firehouse as it transforms into the future Lodi Historical Museum. The City Hall/Firehouse restoration is 100% community-funded, which means we depend on volunteers, donated private funds, and the generosity of local businesses to make this dream come true. Watching the building take shape has been an exciting journey and we couldn’t do it without your support. Thank you to all our donors, volunteers, contractors, and community members who have made this possible. We are still in need of about $100,000 to finish the project and are actively seeking donors to help bridge that gap in funding. If you’d like to help, please contact us!

And now, for the building update:

In March, building progress required some creative thinking after our donated concrete fell through. Local contractor AM Stephens stepped in with a discount and a great solution that helped us save approximately $12,000 in estimated concrete costs. Experts Johnny Edwards and Greg “Junior” Soares from AM Stephens recommended pouring new concrete only in the center section of the room, making it even with the existing slabs, instead of raising the entire floor. The firefighters returned to remove about 10 tons of filler in the center section and then the floors were ready to be poured. Looking at the building with a complete first floor has been an important milestone to visualizing the future Lodi Historical Museum. 

Now that the inside of the building is shaping up, it’s time to start working on the exterior. After several attempts at stripping the paint from the building (see photo of it painted its current white dating back to the 1930s), it was concluded that we will not be able to remove the paint without damaging the bricks underneath. If you’ve seen the architectural drawing of the finished building, you’ll remember that our plan was to expose the bricks and bring the building back to its original glory. While our initial hopes have been dashed, we’re looking forward to giving the old building a new face in the coming months that will transform the block and activate the east side of historic Downtown Lodi. We’re looking forward to sharing the building with you soon! 

If you’d like to support the City Hall & Firehouse Preservation Fund, click here to donate or contact our Executive Director at bailey@lodihistoricalsociety.org.

1939 Firehouse, painted white sometime in the late 30s.

1913, Lodi City Hall & Firehouse

2026