Virtual Design Analysis Group is a division of NVentum, LLC.


-CAPTURING HISTORY-
This unique collaborative endeavor; to utilize the latest reality capture technology to document the artifacts, buildings and campus of History San Jose, provides opportunities for private sector, non-profits and institutions of higher education to work together to solve some of today's most pressing engineering issues. The protocol for retrofitting as-built historic facilities and the use of new technologies to preserve our most prized historic treasures are vital to the continued success and expanded influence of our museums.
This blog will document the challenges and successes of this ambitious, one of a kind project.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Silicon Valley's "Smithsonian West"

 San Jose is home to one of California's most unique and eclectic historic collections. The San Jose History Park is 14 acres of manicured grounds and historic structures. 
Japanese Internment Document
Courtesy History San Jose



"History San Jose' collects, preserves and celebrates the stories of diversity and innovation in San Jose' and the Santa Clara Valley." From HSJ Webpage


No where is this diversity reflected more than in the vast and varied collection of artifacts both on display and in the museum's collection center. 
What are some of the things one might find in this unusual collection?
Califaro Tank House- Built 1880
Courtesy History San Jose


Buildings: (1880s-1920s) Homes, Commercial Buildings, Small Businesses, Temples, Cabins, Barns
Dr. Warburton's Examination Chair
Courtesy History San Jose
Appliances/Machinery/Tools: 
(1800-2010) Kitchen Appliances, Utensils, Industrial Tools, Manufacturing Equipment, Tractors, Lathes, Printing Presses, Typewriters, Telephones, Ice Boxes, Plows, Wagons, Pianos, Household Furniture, Native American Bowls/Utensils

Milk Machine
Courtesy History San Jose
Transportation: (1840s-1940s) Automobiles, Bicycles, Motorcycles, Scooters, Trolleys, Trains, Trucks
1915 Excelsior Auto Cycle
Button Trolley
Courtesy HSJ
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reality-Capture-Technology-Training-Center-at-History-Park/304789553009310Art/Documents: (1790s-2012) Paintings, Etchings, Carvings, Historic Documents, Letters, Spanish Regional Maps, Mexican Regional Maps, Arial Maps, Land Grant Documents, Newspapers/Periodicals, Films, Lithographs, Native American Tools


1917 Harley Davidson
Electronics: (1900-Present) Computers, Televisions, Teletype Machines, Transmitters, Decoders, Generators, PC Boards, Phonographs, Victrolas, Listening Devices, Tape Recorders, Radios, Broadcast Equipment, Video Recorders, Video Games, Prototypes.
Victrola










Varian-Klystron
Courtesy History San Jose
The San Jose History Museum is home to over 500,000 artifacts; 95% of these artifacts are currently in storage and unavailable to the public. There are three primary reasons for this;1) there isn't enough space to display all of the artifacts.2) the museum's collection is constantly expanding. History isn't just about what happened years ago, but what happened yesterday. 3)) most of the museum's work is conducted by volunteers. With over 500,000 artifacts and the research required to properly preserve them, the processes are time intensive.
1903 DeForest Wrls Responder
Photo Courtesy History San Jose

One of the major benefits to the "Capturing History" project is that many of these unseen artifacts can be displayed in the virtual museum setting. The virtual museum isn't restricted by walls and square footage that limit traditional museums. By digitally documenting the contents of the collection center, many of these artifacts will be seen by the public for the first
time in decades.







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