Celebrating the Art of Model Making
Located in a newly created visitor annex on the aft-end of the 1898 Victorian-era steam ferryboat Berkeley, the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s Model Gallery celebrates the exceptional artistry and craftsmanship behind maritime models. This exhibit showcases models as both fine art and vivid illustrations of our shared seafaring heritage, drawing from decades of local expertise and passion for model making.
For years, the museum has highlighted superbly crafted models by local legends such as former collections manager Bob Crawford and ship’s carpenter Joe Bompensiero. The collection features pieces from the museum’s storage alongside recent donations, including the monumental work of Dr. William Brown, as noted by Kevin Sheehan, Ph.D., Manager of Collections and Librarian. Additional contributions from the Beyster Family Foundation and Dr. Charles Stern enrich the exhibit, offering elegant representations of clipper ships, a polacca-rigged xebec, and a model of Columbus’s Santa Maria.
Complementing these fine models are other notable maritime artifacts from the museum’s collection—such as the retired fore-topsail of the Californian and test-tank hull models from Campbell’s Shipyard—that provide further context to the maritime legacy. This innovative new gallery, made possible by the support of Jennie and Michael Hite along with many generous donors and volunteers, invites visitors to explore the rich tradition of model making that has captured the spirit of the sea for generations.
