The San Luis Obispo Children's Museum first opened its doors in 1990 after the property was donated to the City of San Luis Obispo and the building converted from a transmission shop. The Children's Museum’s first incarnation lasted 14 years but the building had many structural and logistical problems, and the facility often reached capacity on busy days. From 2005-2008 the Museum was closed for reconstruction and over $5 million was raised to create a world class facility. The Museum reopened the second and third floors in June 2008. In June of 2009, the first floor was reopened and the Museum was officially completed. Close to 50,000 guests now visit the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum each year, many on class field trips. The Museum is fortunate to have many community partners such as the Community Foundation San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly. The Children's Museum is a 501(c)(3) California non-profit organization and is led by a volunteer board of directors. It is a goal of the board for the Museum to be accessible to as many children as possible, and a resource for other community organizations.