County history museum receives $1.6 million County history museum receives $1.6 million (January 28, 2004)

Although California's art and cultural institutions have struggled under the weight of Sacramento's budgetary woes, one Bay Area museum has turned the corner, obtaining significant financial support for capital improvements and cultural programming from the nonprofit foundation set up by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Gordon Moore of Woodside, co-founder of Intel Corp. Mr. Moore's family roots in Northern California go back to 1847.

The trustees of the San Mateo County History Museum announced Monday a gift of $1.1 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and a concurrent gift of $500,000 from Umang and Ruth Gupta.

The grants will enable the museum -- located in the historic, 1910 county courthouse at 777 Hamilton St. in Redwood City -- to complete its $12 million capital campaign launched in the fall, said Mitchell Postel, president of the San Mateo County Historical Association.

The Moore Foundation gift is the single largest private donation the historical association has received to date, Mr. Postel said. The gifts leave the association within $2.8 million of its fundraising goal.

The funds will enable the association to complete renovations of interior and exterior portions of the courthouse building, Mr. Postel said. The courthouse (where Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor began her professional career as deputy county attorney in 1952) has two large and intricately designed stained-glass domes.

Mr. Postel said the capital campaign will also finance the creation of three new permanent museum exhibits, entitled "Entrepreneurs From Around the World," "Immigrants From Around the World," and "No Place Like Home."

The Moore grant was, in part, inspired by the history of the Moore family, which came to California in 1847 -- before the Gold Rush -- in covered wagons and became one of the founding families of Pescadero, Mr. Postel said.

Gordon Moore's father, Walter Moore, was a San Mateo County sheriff and served as bailiff in Courtroom "A" of the Old Courthouse. Gordon Moore went on to become co-founder of Intel Corp. in 1968.

Umang Gupta, CEO of Keynote Systems and a member of the historical association's board of directors, and his wife Ruth Gupta were both born abroad and their donation will help create the new gallery "Immigrants From Around the World," said Mr. Postel.

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