"Spencer & Burke: Real Estate, Notary, Fire Insurance"; c. 1900 (Ojai Avenue), Nordhoff, CA - Ojai Valley Museum Photo Archive/Permanent Collection.

“Main Street, Nordhoff, CA” c. 1850 (Ojai Avenue) Nordhoff, CA – Ojai Valley Museum Photo Archive/Permanent Collection.

“The (new) Arcade” c. 1918 (Ojai Avenue) Ojai, CA – Ojai Valley Museum Photo Archive/Permanent Collection.

The purpose of this tour-de-force, retrospective exhibit is to educate visitors about the history and use of Ojai’s landmark, turn-of-the-century, covered shopping mall. Themes explored in the exhibit include: who conceived of the idea, who paid for its design and construction, how the Arcade beautified the town, and, how businesses in the Arcade evolved or changed, between the early and late eras of the 20th century.

The primary exhibition, mounted in the 2500 square foot Rotating Gallery, takes viewers through five decades of the Arcade as the central business district for the City of Ojai. The Hallway Gallery, leading into the main exhibit, displays copies of letters soliciting funds to build the Arcade in order to beautify the wild western quality of the town. The 1916 correspondence is enhanced with period photographs of Nordhoff (later re-named Ojai), visually illustrating the pre-Arcade, rough ‘n tumble quality of Ojai Avenue at the turn of the century.

Six-foot photomurals describe Ojai’s 20th century life and times. A portion of the Arcade, built to scale, defines the entrance to the show. Arcade stores and businesses are re-created on platforms in three-dimensional tableaux. A vintage 1911 Sears Cadillac and a 1950’s original “chopper” punctuate the appropriate eras, which also include costumed mannequins, architectural models, and examples of advertising through the decades.

Visitors to this show will experience the transformation of Nordhoff, California, from its “ramshackle,” dusty, wild state into an aesthetically unified, harmonious Ojai townscape with its Spanish style Arcade. They'll also remember or re-live the more recent bygone days of the 1950’s - 1970’s, and, ultimately, leave with a new appreciation for one of Southern California’s first outdoor, covered, miniature shopping malls.

The exhibit opens on January 13 and runs through February 27, 2011. A Gala Reception will be held on Saturday, January 22 from 5 to 7 pm.

The Ojai Valley Museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue and is open Thursday and Friday from 1 to 4 pm, Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays from Noon to 4 pm. For additional information call the museum at (805) 640-1390 or visit the museum website at: http://www.ojaivalleymuseum.org/