Celebrating Latino Heritage with the JA Cooley Museum
The family who founded the JA Cooley Museum — a 2023 inductee into the San Diego Tourism Authority’s Tourism Accelerator program — has deep roots in both San Diego history and the region’s cross-border vibrancy. And that connection with the past is reflected in the many fascinating vintage items on display both at the museum and its companion institution, the model train shop known as Frank the Trainman. To mark National Latino and Hispanic Heritage Month, we talked with second-generation proprietor Carmen Cooley-Graham about the Latina-owned museum’s evolution and what she loves about San Diego.
Q: Tell us a little about yourselves and what inspired the launch of your business.
Q: Tell us a little about yourselves and what inspired the launch of your business.
A: My mother, Carmen Cooley, came to San Diego from Mexico in 1969 to visit her Aunt Teresa, who owned the iconic 12th and Broadway Restaurant. Carmen met her husband, Jim, and they worked every day together for almost 50 years. Jim and Carmen were landscapers and avid collectors of antiques.
In 1983, Jim’s best friend, Frank Cox, asked Jim and Carmen to take over his business, Frank the Trainman. Today Frank the Trainman is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) model train shops in the country, chugging down the tracks since 1943. People come to visit from all over the world.
In 1997, Jim and Carmen decided to open the JA Cooley Museum in the same location as Frank the Trainman at 4233 Park Blvd., one mile north of Balboa Park, for education, enjoyment and preservation of history. The museum seems small from the outside, but the building is over 10,000 square feet, displaying 40-plus collections, from early cars (including an 1885 Benz) to one of the largest and most extensive camera collections. There is something fun for everyone to enjoy. Unlike most museums, the JA Cooley Museum welcomes you to enjoy pieces of history up close and personal.
After the passing of Jim Cooley in 2019, Carmen had a difficult decision to make: Should she close the museum and train store with so many treasures, or should she keep her and her husband’s legacy open? With the support of her family and the help of her daughters, she chose to carry it on as a gift to visitors. I help maintain and manage the JA Cooley Museum and Carmen focuses on her beloved Frank the Trainman. Our mother-daughter team enjoys spending time together and we are both heard to say, “It’s never a job when you love what you do.”
Q: What is a must-do experience at the JA Cooley Museum?
Q: What is a must-do experience at the JA Cooley Museum?
A: There is an item or a collection for everyone at the museum to enjoy. A few highlights are the 1981 DeLorean sports car, the early-1900s Wurlitzer phonographs, and the 1920s phone booth that still receives calls today. A large focus is early industrial American inventions, but we also focus on inventions from San Diego locals and the rich history of America’s Finest City.
Q: How do you support or partner with local organizations, nonprofits, or community groups to contribute to the well-being of the San Diego community?
Q: How do you support or partner with local organizations, nonprofits, or community groups to contribute to the well-being of the San Diego community?
A: We love to partner with the community. We have been blessed to be a part of San Diego for over 80 years as Frank the Trainman. We host many private events for other nonprofits and clubs. One of our favorites is hosting Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and school groups to learn about the inventors they read about in books, and to actually crank an Edison or use a typewriter. Near and dear to us is hosting senior centers and memory care centers — watching them come through our doors and then leave dancing, singing and reminiscing about the good days. That is what we are all about: enjoyment, appreciation and celebration for all ages.
Q: What are a few of your local favorites within your neighborhood? If someone were to come to your business, what are a few surrounding things that would be interesting to do?
Q: What are a few of your local favorites within your neighborhood? If someone were to come to your business, what are a few surrounding things that would be interesting to do?
A: We are proud to have been at the same intersection of Park Boulevard and El Cajon Boulevard for over 80 years, at the crossroads of the vibrant neighborhoods of University Heights and North Park. University Heights has wonderful restaurants and parks and is just a mile up the street from Balboa Park. As we celebrate San Diego history, our favorites are going to the Lafayette Hotel & Club, which opened in 1946. It’s a luxury resort that originally welcomed Hollywood celebrities and was recently restored CH Projects to renewed glamour. There's also the family-owned and -operated San Diego Chicken Pie Shop, which opened in 1938, and the wonderful events that both communities host.
Q: Locally, where do you go to connect with your heritage? What are some of your favorite Latino businesses, events or historic sites in San Diego?
Q: Locally, where do you go to connect with your heritage? What are some of your favorite Latino businesses, events or historic sites in San Diego?
A: As they say, “The best Mexican food is what Abuelita is making.” But when we do go out, we love Casa De Pico in La Mesa. We love it so much that starting in 1986, we went to Casa De Pico every night for almost two years when it was in Old Town. Chicano Park and Our Lady of Guadalupe are vibrant reminders of our time in Guadalajara. Anywhere there’s great mariachi music playing, you will find us. And the view from Cabrillo National Monument on a clear day to the islands and to Tijuana brings appreciation of nature and the beautiful ocean we share with Mexico.
Q: If someone were coming to San Diego for the first time, what would you tell them to do? (Besides visiting your business, of course!)
Q: If someone were coming to San Diego for the first time, what would you tell them to do? (Besides visiting your business, of course!)
A: Our ancestors came to San Diego to build and landscape Balboa Park in the 1870s, so naturally I recommend Balboa Park and the beautiful gardens. Old Town is a location I still visit often and take out-of-town family members to experience, especially the history of San Diego and the Mexican food. And if you are looking for a day trip, the serene drive to Julian and the mountains to enjoy small family-owned shops, history and of course the apple pies.
Q: What do you think would most surprise a newcomer to San Diego?
Q: What do you think would most surprise a newcomer to San Diego?
A: As a world traveler, I love that San Diego is easy to drive, and San Diegans are very welcoming. It’s approximately 54 miles from Tijuana to Oceanside, with communities in those 54 miles that are a must-see and experience. There’s so much San Diego has to offer, and enjoying the local vibe is a must.
Q: Looking forward, what makes you excited about growing your business in San Diego? And do you have any new events or experiences that would be great for returning visitors?
Q: Looking forward, what makes you excited about growing your business in San Diego? And do you have any new events or experiences that would be great for returning visitors?
A: We look forward to continuing the legacy of Jim and Carmen Cooley, Frank Cox and the inventors whom we celebrate. We do host private parties and welcome small convention parties. Being privately owned and operated as a 501(c)(3), we look forward to sharing with our museum partners and philanthropic organizations in San Diego.