# MUSEUM OF PINBALL FACES CLOSURE **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2021-07-02 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2021/07/02/museum-of-pinball-faces-closure --- ## Analysis The Museum of Pinball in Banning, California faces imminent closure by October 2021 due to a lease agreement with a marijuana-growing company. Owner John Weeks planned to relocate the 2,200-machine collection to a larger Desert Sun building in Palm Springs, but renovation costs and timeline have exceeded expectations, leaving the collection at risk of homelessness, storage, or sale unless emergency funding or alternative space is secured. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Museum of Pinball has been based in Banning for seven years on an 18-acre site — _Direct statement in article header and body_ - [HIGH] The Museum contains over 2,200 pinball and video games total, with ~500 pinballs and ~700 video games on display and 1,000+ in storage — _Explicit inventory numbers provided in article_ - [HIGH] Current 44,000 sq. ft. building is too small to display entire collection — _Direct statement comparing building size to collection scope_ - [HIGH] Owner John Weeks signed an agreement to lease Museum building to a marijuana-growing company effective October 2021 — _Explicitly stated as the immediate deadline triggering closure threat_ - [HIGH] Proposed Desert Sun building in Palm Springs is 77,000 sq. ft., would enable seven-days-a-week operation vs. current event-only schedule — _Direct comparison of building specs and operational changes_ - [HIGH] Palm Springs relocation costs and timeline have exceeded initial expectations, making October 2021 deadline impossible to meet — _Stated as reason closure deadline cannot be avoided without intervention_ ### Notable Quotes > "The future of the Museum of Pinball in Banning, California is in doubt as the management team face a race against time to find a new home for the collection of more than 2,200 pinball and video games." > — **Pinball News (article)** > _Sets stakes of the closure crisis and scale of collection at risk_ > "The race is on to find a solution which will maintain the collection, either on display at an alternative location or in storage until a better solution could be found. In the worst case, the entire collection could also be sold." > — **Pinball News (article)** > _Describes possible outcomes ranging from relocation to complete dispersal of collection_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Museum of Pinball | organization | Cultural institution in Banning, CA housing 2,200+ pinball and arcade machines; facing closure by October 2021 | | John Weeks | person | Owner of Museum of Pinball; negotiated lease agreement with marijuana company and planned Desert Sun relocation | | Banning, California | location | Current home of Museum of Pinball on 18-acre site since 2014; lease expires October 2021 | | Palm Springs | location | Target relocation city for Museum of Pinball; proposed new site is Desert Sun building (77,000 sq. ft.) | | Desert Sun newspaper building | product | Proposed new home for Museum of Pinball in Palm Springs; 77,000 sq. ft. restored building | | INDISC | event | It Never Drains In Southern California tournament hosted at Museum of Pinball | | Walter Day Trading Card Museum | organization | Trading card collection co-located with Museum of Pinball in Banning | | Arcade Expo | event | Pinball/arcade event held at Museum of Pinball location | | Pinball Madness | event | Event held at Museum of Pinball in Banning | ### Topics - **Primary:** Museum closure and relocation crisis, Pinball collection preservation and legacy - **Secondary:** Community event and tournament hosting, Real estate and facility planning, Pinball museum and archival institutions ### Sentiment **Negative** (-0.85) — Article expresses concern and urgency about potential loss of significant cultural institution. Closing statement expresses hope but overall tone is cautionary about existential threat to collection. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Museum of Pinball faces imminent closure due to lease expiration and underfunded relocation plan (confidence: high) — Building leased to marijuana company effective October 2021; Palm Springs relocation cannot meet deadline due to cost and timeline overruns - **[event_signal]** Loss of Museum of Pinball would eliminate major event venue for INDISC tournament and other regional pinball events (confidence: high) — Article lists Arcade Expo, INDISC, Pinball Madness, Arcade Pinvasion, and Funhouse Maze as events hosted at location - **[market_signal]** Pinball community heritage and preservation institutions under threat; collection of 2,200+ machines at risk (confidence: high) — Explicit worst-case scenario of entire collection being sold mentioned; article appeals to community concern about access to historical machines --- ## Transcript The future of the Museum of Pinball in Banning, California is in doubt as the management team face a race against time to find a new home for the collection of more than 2,200 pinball and video games. ![The Museum of Pinball in Banning](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/museum-of-pinball-may-close/001-museum-of-pinball-may-close.jpg) The Museum of Pinball in Banning The Museum has been based on an 18-acre site in Banning, west of Palm Springs since it launched seven years ago. It has hosted numerous pinball shows, become the home of the It Never Drains In Southern California (INDISC) tournament, and is home of the Walter Day Trading Card Museum. ![Some of the hundreds of pinballs at the Museum](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/museum-of-pinball-may-close/002-museum-of-pinball-may-close.jpg) Some of the hundreds of pinballs at the Museum ![The Museum is also home of the Walter Day Trading Card collection](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/museum-of-pinball-may-close/005-museum-of-pinball-may-close.jpg) The collection Although the Museum is housed in a voluminous 44,000 sq. ft. building, it is too small to contain the Museum’s entire collection of games. There are currently around 500 pinballs and 700 video games set up, including many rare titles and complete product ranges from several manufacturers, but another 1,000 machines remain in storage due to lack of space. ![More of the Museum's collection](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/museum-of-pinball-may-close/006-museum-of-pinball-may-close.jpg) More of the Museum’s collection To expand the number of machines available to visitors and locate the collection nearer to a major population centre, earlier this year Museum of Pinball owner John Weeks revealed plans to move the Museum to the newly-restored former Desert Sun newspaper building in Palm Springs. The move to the 77,000 sq. ft. building would allow the Museum to open to the public seven-days-a-week rather than just for a few select weekends for special events such as Arcade Expo, Pinball Madness, INDISC, Arcade Pinvasion and Funhouse Maze. It would also allow full-time technicians to be employed to maintain the expanded collection, while the building is very close to Palm Springs airport making it far more accessible than Banning for out-of-town visitors. ![The Funhouse on the 18-acre site](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/museum-of-pinball-may-close/004-museum-of-pinball-may-close.jpg) The Funhouse on the 18-acre site John’s company owns the site in Banning which includes an additional three buildings, but it appears he signed an agreement to lease the Museum’s current building to a marijuana-growing company with effect from October 2021. However, the funds required and time needed to prepare the Desert Sun building in Palm Springs appear to be far greater than initially anticipated, meaning the move cannot happen by October, leaving Museum’s collection homeless in just over two months unless either additional funds are offered by a sponsor or alternative accommodation can be found. The race is on to find a solution which will maintain the collection, either on display at an alternative location or in storage until a better solution could be found. In the worst case, the entire collection could also be sold. ![Can the Museum's collection be saved for future generations to enjoy?](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/museum-of-pinball-may-close/003-museum-of-pinball-may-close.jpg) Can the Museum’s collection be saved for future generations to enjoy? Pinball News has visited and reported from the Museum of Pinball several times. The collection of pinballs and videos is a sight to behold, so we sincerely hope a solution can be found which will allow more visitors to experience a collection like nowhere else in the world. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e9beee2a-10bd-41b5-9413-a50fb35a2375*