The B.C. Vintage Truck Museum has been searching for a new home for the past year-and-a-half. The quest began after the City of Surrey notified the all-volunteer run museum that it must vacate its building on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds by 2027.
Anna Dean, president of the not-for-profit museum, told the Cloverdale Reporter it's been “a real challenge” to find a new home for its 30-plus dozen vintage vehicles and its more than 5,000-piece memorabilia collection.
“We have a four-year lease and we’ve spent nearly two years trying to find a new place,” Dean said. “I’ve been out in the community talking to everybody I can. We’ve been looking into properties that might be suitable, but they are not. People have offered us warehouses that are $20,000 a month. We can’t afford that. We’d be broke in no time.”
According to an October 2023 City of Surrey corporate report, the museum’s roof is “beyond economical repair” as the cost to replace it exceeds the value of the building. As such, the truck aficionados—and all their vintage vehicles—must be out by November 2027, after their lease ends. In the report, the city noted it may redevelop the spot the museum is currently sitting on or sell the southwest-corner lot of Fairgrounds’ property.
Dean has a sliver of hope, but prospects are not looking good.
She’s also got an upcoming meeting with the Surrey Heritage Advisory Commission, a City of Surrey body. There she hopes to garner SHAC's support in the museum's search for a suitable location.
"They have recognized that we are valuable,” Dean said. “And there is a big review going on on the Fairgrounds and we want to be included in those plans.”
She noted the museum is vital to telling the story of transport history in B.C. and the Lower Mainland.
“It’s councils’ decision in the end, but we’re hoping they include us.”
By “include” Dean means in whatever plan the city rolls out for redevelopment of the Fairgrounds.
“We’ve become woven into the fabric of this city and this community in lots of ways,” she added. "The community should not have to lose a museum like this.”
She revealed her volunteers have logged more than 114,000 volunteer hours restoring vintage vehicles and persevering history for future generations. She said her volunteers have made a big cultural contribution to the preservation of history in both Surrey and B.C. since the museum opened in 2012—helping to build up city tourism along the way.
“Tourists call us a ‘hidden gem’ because the building doesn’t look like much from the outside,” Dean explained. “But when they get in here, they fall in love with the place and they learn a lot.”
July 5
The museum is also hosting its "National Truck Show" Saturday, July 5 in the parking lot outside the museum. The annual event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. At the same time, the B.C. Hot Rod Association will host its “Hot Rod Saturday” car show next door in the parking lot adjacent to Elements Casino.
The B.C. Vintage Truck Museum is open every Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The museum is located on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds at 6022 176th Street. Admission is by donation. Visit bctruckmuseum.org for more info.
