FAIRMOUNT, Ind. - The James Dean Gallery is back where the 1950s Hollywood icon grew up.
Owner David Loehr has moved the gallery back to its original spot in Fairmount, Indiana, about 80 kilometres northeast of Indianapolis. He had moved everything out in 2002, after a small electrical fire in the original house. The risk of another fire prompted Loehr to think about getting some of his rare Dean collectibles out of the structure.
The gallery moved to a custom-built, state-of-the-art museum at Gas City's Interstate 69 interchange for two years.
But Loehr says that place was too big and became "unsustainable."
"It got so big, so grand, that it didn't work," Loehr said.
He said he sold some of his memorabilia just to get out of the hole he was in because of the building. Needing a place to house his wares and regroup, Loehr moved the display to the Kruse Automobile Museum in Auburn.
But he decided to move back to the building where he started the gallery in 1988. It features a collection of Dean portraits and rare memorabilia, including hometown artifacts, collectibles, magazines and more.
Dean hit it big with starring roles in "East of Eden," "Rebel" and "Giant," which had just wrapped filming when a station wagon collided with Dean's new silver Porsche Spyder near rural Cholame, Calif., on Sept. 30, 1955. He died instantly.
Loehr is planning new brochures and hopes to market the gallery, which has no admission charge, to Midwestern families looking for a short, affordable day trip.
"James Dean will never die culturally," Loehr said. "There will always be fans."
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