Director Sees Window of Opportunity at Historic Home

Jeffrey Herr and Nancy McKey have great visions for the Banning Residence Museum in Wilmington.

They have been running the Civil War-era mansion since April 1 when Herr was named the museum’s director and McKey was made the executive director of the Friends of Banning Park, a nonprofit foundation.

The two want to make residents and visitors from across the country more aware of the 23-room mansion built in 1864 by Gen. Phineas Banning, who was instrumental in constructing the Port of Los Angeles and brought the Southern Pacific Railroad to the harbor. The two-story Greek Revival home surrounded by the 20-acre Banning Park is operated on a slim $182,000 budget provided by the city of Los Angeles, which includes salaries for six people.

McKey’s job is to raise money for the museum and expand its educational program. Herr’s job is to figure out how to spend that money as wisely as possible to conserve the museum’s vast collection of Victorian furniture, maintain the house and open its collection to research.

Herr appears to have the right combination to be the director. He started his career as a banker and was a vice president with Imperial Savings & Loan in Beverly Hills in 1984 when he decided to switch careers. He received his master’s degree in art history at Cal State Northridge and became head of the city’s Cultural Grants Program, dispensing $2.5 million every year in grants to artists and art organizations.

One of Herr and McKey’s goals is to expand the educational program available to elementary schools. Each September, grade school classes sign up for field trips. Within two days, the available dates are filled. “We have to say we’re sorry, there is no more room,” Herr said. “Educating our younger generation is vital for the future of our museums. So I’m adamant about expanding that program.”

McKey, a former associate director of the school of journalism at USC, is responsible for raising money to improve the museum’s grounds, overseeing the new museum gift shop, expanding the number of visitors and overseeing the annual Victorian Christmas celebration.

The museum has about 20,000 visitors a year who can take afternoon tours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays for $2. The museum is at 401 E. M St. in Wilmington.