Military Vehicle Technology Foundation: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox Museummuseum

|type = [[Museum#military:Category:Military museumand war museums|Military museum]]

The '''Military Vehicle Technology Foundation''' was a large collection of military vehicles located in [[Portola Valley, California]]. It was founded in 1975 by [[Jacques Littlefield]], and closed in 2018, with its collection being distributed to other museums. Many of its vehicles are now part of the [[American Heritage Museum ]] run by the [[Collings Foundation]] in [[Stow, Massachusetts]].

The first acquisition was an unrestored M3A1 Scout Car. The first two tanks arrived on site in 1983, and by 1988 the collection comprised five armored vehicles. Subsequent military vehicles and associated equipment were acquired from dealers, collectors, or in trade with various museums or government agencies in the United States and abroad. By the middle of the 1990s the collection included examples from almost all historically significant land battles of the last half-century. The oldest armored military vehicle in the collection is a World War I era [[M1917 light tank]].<!--This description is lifted word-for-word from the reference.--><!--Well that's copyvio, innit?--><ref name=AboutUs>{{cite web |url=http://mvtf.org/about.html |title=About Us |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= |website=Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016}}</ref>

The Foundation was established in early 1998. Littlefield's major objective for the Foundation was to preserve the collection for the future.<ref name=AboutUs /> Over 200 [[armored fighting vehicle]]s arewere present in the collection,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mvtf.org/col_intro.html |title=Introduction to our Collection |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= |website=Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185729/http://www.mvtf.org/col_intro.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> displayed in a {{convert|48000|ft2}} exhibition space at Littlefield's {{convert|470|acre|adj=on}} Pony Tracks Ranch in the Vista Verde neighborhood. The ranch was once owned by former San Francisco Mayor and California Governor [[James Rolph|"Sunny Jim" Rolph]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.portolavalley.net/home/showdocument?id=112 |title=An Unusual Collection |date=Winter 2004 |work=The Portola Valley Post |pages=3–4 |accessdateaccess-date=9 March 2020}}</ref> The foundation offered tours of its collection with a mandatory donation until the inventory was transported to the new museum in Stow.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mvtf.org/pub_tours.html |title=Tours: General Public |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= |website=Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016}}</ref>

In 2012 the foundation started a new program in conjunction with the Boy Scouts of America to start the youth Venturing Crew 551. Crew 551's stated goals were to assist in the restoration of vehicles, and to help educate the public through tours and presentations about the significance of armored vehicles throughout history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://crew551.org/#about |title=About Us |date=2012 |website=Venturing Tank Crew 551 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016 |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601150330/http://crew551.org/ |archivedatearchive-date=1 June 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Jacques Littlefield died after a decade-long battle with [[colon cancer]] on January 7, 2009. The foundation signed over its collection to the [[Collings Foundation]] on July 4, 2013. A year later, the Collings Foundation auctioned off 120 of the vehicles to fund creation of the new [[American Heritage Museum]] to display the collection at the Collings Foundation headquarters in [[Stow, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2013/11/silicon_valley_tank_collection.html |title=Silicon Valley tank collection heading east to The Collings Foundation in Stow |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= 11 November 2013 |newspaper=The Springfield Republican |agency=AP |access-date=11 March 2016}}</ref>

In 2015, the Stow Planning Board questioned the educational merit of the proposed museum. The educational purpose was needed in order to allow the planned {{convert|60000|sqft|adj=on}} museum to be built on land that was zoned for residential use.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://stowindependent.com/planning-board-wrestles-with-collings-museum-application-july-29-2015 |title=Planning Board Wrestles with Collings Museum Application ... |author=Needle, Ann |date=29 July 2015 |newspaper=The Stow Independent |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2015/08/05/plans-for-museum-to-house-the-ex-littlefield-military-vehicle-collection-stalled/ |title=Plans for museum to house the ex-Littlefield military vehicle collection stalled |author=Strohl, Daniel |date=5 August 2015 |newspaper=Hemmings |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016}}</ref> The Planning Board rejected the foundation's application in August 2015<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2015/08/31/proposed-military-museum-shot-down-stow/QHi10qK0wcftsaUIOfcy8H/story.html |title=Proposed military museum is voted down in Stow |author=Sweeney, Emily |date=31 August 2015 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016}}</ref> but a settlement was eventually reached in July 2017 and construction of the museum was completed in 2018. The museum held a "preview" opening in October 2018 and fully opened in May 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collingsfoundation.org/american-heritage-museum/|title=Collings Foundation American Heritage Museum|date=23 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegram.com/news/20190502/american-heritage-museum-celebrates-grand-opening |title=American Heritage Museum celebrates grand opening |author=Jonathan Phelps |date= 2 May 2019 |newspaper=Worcester Telegram |agency= |accessdateaccess-date=5 May 2019}}</ref>

* {{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-sale-old-scud-missiles-tanks-in-need-of-tlc-1412217006 |title=Used Vehicle for Sale, Runs Well, Cannon Needs TLC |author=Elinson, Zusha |date=1 October 2014 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016}}

* {{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2015/08/13/military-museum-plan-has-stow-neighbors-arms/pzPViPRhfmr0XjScmXXWxH/story.html |title=Military museum plan sparks battle in Stow |author=Sweeney, Emily |date=14 August 2015 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016 }}

* {{cite news |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_26112736/ |title=Portola Valley tank collection rumbles to the auction block |author=Newman, Bruce |date=8 July 2014 |newspaper=San Jose Mercury News |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161016051848/http://bernardzeephotos.com/tanks/tanks.html Large, high quality photojournal of a visit by Bernard Zee]

* {{cite web |url=http://www.yelp.com/biz/military-vehicle-technology-foundation-portola-valley |title=Military Vehicle Technology Foundation |date=2016 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Yelp |accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2016 }}

* {{cite web |url=https://www.rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/LC14 |title=The Littlefield Collection |date=11 July 2014 |website=Auctions America |accessdateaccess-date=3 May 2018}}

[[Category:Military and war museums in California]]