Historic wax figures moving to a new home

St. Augustine Record

Darth Vader, Queen Victoria, Austin Powers, Franklin Roosevelt, Mark Twain, the Seinfeld cast, Marie Curie and Johnny Depp better start packing one of St. Augustines most iconic downtown attractions, Potters Wax Museum, the oldest wax museum in the United States, is moving.

Its not the first relocation for the museum, which has been on King Street across from the Plaza de la Constitucion since Harry S. Truman was in the White House. Originally in the building that now houses A1A Aleworks, the collection was downsized considerably and moved a stones throw away to 17 King St. in 1986.

Sometime within the next few weeks, Potters will be leaving King Street altogether and relocating to new digs at 31 Orange St., taking up residence with the Authentic Old Drug Store, said Potters owner Kimber Ponce.

Im completely stoked about the new location, Ponce said last week. Weve been working hard building sets and stages and getting everything just how we want it, and were hoping to get everything moved over here by the end of the month.

Longtime Potters employee Susan Harrell said the excitement level is high among the staff, too.

Oh yeah, our anticipation is through the roof, Harrell said. Its kind of like the week before Christmas.

Potters is currently home to more than 160 wax sculptures covering a wide range of real and fictitious figures, including famous politicians, entertainers, horror characters, historical personalities, sports stars and other celebrities. George L. Potter established the collection in 1948.

Mr. Potters vision was always to bring history to life, Harrell said. Along with the move, well be refreshing the way the collection is displayed. Our owners goal is to bring the museum back up to the caliber that if Mr. Potter were to walk in the door, hed say well done.

The figures will be grouped and displayed by era and classification, Ponce said. They include representations of Moses, Abraham, Henry VII! I, Voltaire, Ponce de Leon, Pedro Menendez, Sir Francis Drake, Ben Franklin, Nathan Hale, Galileo, Thomas Edison, Samuel Clemens, Beethoven and U.S. presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, as well as entertainment figures such as Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Johnny Depp (as Capt. Jack Sparrow), the Seinfeld cast, selected Star Wars characters, Harry Potter and even Britney Spears.

The detail of the wax work and the costuming is exquisite, Harrell said. Youre literally looking at history on so many levels. Not just the individuals depicted, but also the fine art and materials used to create them.

Ponce said she was so anxious to see how the characters will look in their new home that she brought a few over early. On Friday, people working in the Old Drug Store had the company of Angelina Jolie, who was poised behind the counter, seemingly ready to pour a soda from the antique dispenser.

Angelina gets a lot of attention, both from visitors and staff, Ponce said. People cant seem to keep their hands off of her.

Unlike the older characters, which are truly made of wax, the Jolie figure was constructed using silicone, which means touching her is less likely to cause damage than doing so with the much more fragile wax figures, Ponce said.

That doesnt mean its OK to touch, of course, Ponce said, laughing.

She said most of the work associated with the move has been in getting the new facility ready.

Theres definitely a challenge with moving the older figures, and you have to pack and transport them carefully, Ponce said. That said, moving the characters will actually be one of the easiest aspects of this whole thing, and we hope to be able to do that in one day.

Artist Kathy Marsh is acting as the artistic director for the new location, building sets, painting backdrops, assisting with the overall layout and even putting up interior walls, Ponce said.

Shes directing all of us, Ponce said of ! Marsh. He! r artistic vision is a huge benefit to us, naturally, but in addition to that, her practical skills have proven invaluable. Id say were all qualified as drywall hangers now, for one thing.

The Authentic Old Drug Store will remain, but is being remodeled by Potters staff and will serve as the lobby and entrance to the museum. Fittingly, Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie and Florence Nightingale will greet customers in the Drug Store.

Though she said shell miss the old King Street location, Ponce said she feels good about the new museums new home.

I think well do very well here, Ponce said. Were still in a high profile location for tour groups and foot traffic, and having the city parking garage right across the street will make it much more convenient for people to get to us. Were hoping to open the doors here the first week of May.

The new location, which includes the Authentic Old Drug Store and the adjacent building, is owned by Old Town Trolley Tours of St. Augustine, Ponce said. She said she wasnt sure what her old landlord was going to do with the King Street space once the museum leaves, but that she thinks it will be divided into several smaller shop spaces.