Offbeat L.A.: The Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar… A Wonderland of Vintage Cars and Music Machines

The Nethercutt Collection (Photo by Nikki Kreuzer)

The Nethercutt Collection
(photo by Nikki Kreuzer)

One of the nice things about living in a sprawling metropolis like Los Angeles is that there is always something to do and surprisingly much of it is FREE. Living here as long as I have I am constantly surprised by some of the amazing things that have existed right under my nose but have nearly completely escaped my awareness.

A rare 1948 Tucker (Photo by Nikki Kreuzer)

A rare 1948 Tucker
(photo by Nikki Kreuzer)

The Nethercutt Museum and Collection, located in Sylmar is one of those amazing treasures. Full of nearly 200 spectacularly rare and vintage automobiles along with possibly the world’s best collection of mechanical musical instruments, it is a fanatic’s dream come true. It was opened in 1971 and has expanded rapidly ever since, now encompassing two large buildings. The 2-hour guided tour through the Collection, which is separate from the museum, is a must. The guides happily describe the history of this museum and it’s founder, J.B. Nethercutt, who made his fortune as president of his aunt’s company, Merle Norman Cosmetics.

rare Self-playing Violin Machine (1925) (Photo by Nikki Kreuzer)

Rare self-playing violin machine (1925)
(photo by Nikki Kreuzer)

J.B. became obsessed with collecting and restoring rare cars in 1956 and had great success entering his automobiles over the years in the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which is basically one of the most elite car contests and shows in the world. His collecting obsession also extended into the area of music machines as well and his collection is beyond impressive. These include many one-of-a-kind European Orchestrions, which were incredible early 20th century wall size machines that automatically played as many as 20 instruments in a given song. Along with the orchestrions there are player pianos, player violin machines, a player  banjo, antique music boxes playing either cylinders or discs, an amazing Wurlitzer organ and nickelodeons.  Many of these are demonstrated by the head of the music collection during the tour and it is nearly impossible to avoid a childlike feeling of  magic and wonderment when watching and hearing these automatic bands play.

Reginaphone disc player (Photo by Nikki Kreuzer)

Reginaphone disc player
(photo by Nikki Kreuzer)

J.B. Nethercutt passed away in 2004, at the age of 91. Luckily his museum and his collection are in loving hands and are open for the public to enjoy free of charge. While the Nethercutt Museum is by self guided tour, one must join a scheduled tour to view the Collection. Make sure to also take a tour of the amazing 1937 Canadian-Pacific train engine behind the museum. It is attached to a 1912 private Pullman car once owned by the daughter of the infamous 19th-Century California businessman Lucky Baldwin. Both the engine and the Pullman car have been restored with intricate detail.

The Nethercutt Museum: 15151 Bledsoe St, Sylmar, CA 91342; (818) 364-6464.            www.nethercuttcollection.org

 The Crossroads of the World, The Bunny Museum, Rubel Castle, Storybook Architecture, Grandma Prisbrey’s Bottle Village,

 

Nikki Kreuzer

About Nikki Kreuzer

Nikki Kreuzer has been a Los Angeles resident for over 30 years. When not working her day job in the film & TV industry, she spends her time over many obsessions, mainly music, art and exploring & photographing the oddities of the city she adores. So far she has written 110 Offbeat L.A. articles, published at the Los Angeles Beat. As a journalist she contributes regularly to LA Weekly, Blurred Culture and has also been published by Oddee.com, Twist Magazine, Strobe and Not For Hire. Nikki is also a mosaic artist, radio DJ and published photographer. Her photography has been featured in exhibit at the Museum of Neon Art, in print at the LA Weekly and in exhibit at the Neutra Museum in Los Angeles. She has recorded with the band Nikki & Candy as bassist, vocalist and songwriter, directing and appearing in the 'Sunshine Sunshine Santa Claus' music video for the band. She co-hosted the monthly radio show Bubblegum & Other Delights on Dublab.com for over two years. Her acting credits include a recent role in the ABC-TV show 'For The People', 'Incident at Guilt Ridge', 'Two and a Half Men', the film 'Minority Report' and 'Offbeat L.A.', a web series, written and hosted by Nikki Kreuzer. Her writing, radio and video portfolio can be found at OffbeatLA.com, her photography work @Lunabeat on Instagram and her music history posts @NikkiKreuzer on Twitter. Find Nikki & Candy music on iTunes or Amazon.
This entry was posted in Attractions, Miscellanious, Offbeat LA and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to Offbeat L.A.: The Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar… A Wonderland of Vintage Cars and Music Machines

  1. I’m gonna have to check this out!

  2. Pingback: Offbeat LA: The Fender Guitar Factory Tour… A Twang Heard ‘Round the World | The LA Beat

  3. Pingback: Offbeat L.A.: Dearly Departed Tours in Hollywood… Shining a Light on Death | The LA Beat

Leave a Reply