America's Car Museum
Encyclopedia
The LeMay - America's Car Museum is a museum currently in the city of Tacoma, Washington
. A new museum facility is currently under construction adjacent to the Tacoma Dome
. Most of the cars on display will be donated by the family of Harold LeMay
to the Museum.
owned a successful refuse company, Harold LeMay Enterprises, within the Tacoma metro area and amassed the world's largest private car collection. After his death, the city of Tacoma donated 10 acres (4 ha) of land next to the Tacoma Dome
for the Museum that would contain most of his car collection. At a price of $60 million, the Museum is being called "America's Car Museum." The Museum will be about 165000 square feet (1.5 ha), and will contain Harold LeMay's cars along with gift shops, restoration
shops, lecture halls, galleries, a banquet room, and café.
The Museum will have a 500 car gallery showing cars remarkable for their speed, technology and design, as well as their importance to car culture. Outside the museum will be a 3 acres (1.2 ha) courtyard and clubhouse for car clubs. The Museum may also become home to the LeMay Annual Car Show, which is currently held on the last Saturday of August at the Marymount grounds and the LeMay homestead. The new Museum is set to open June 2, 2012 but, is currently open to the public on the historic Marymount grounds in Spanaway, WA. When the new Museum facility opens, it will be the largest automobile museum in the world (in square footage and in the number of cars on display).
AAA Washington made the largest corporate donation to date with its 2008 commitment of $1.6 million.
Other major Museum sponsors include Bonhams
, Boeing
, The News Tribune, and State Farm Insurance
.
Other donors include various car collectors, auto clubs and citizens worldwide.
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
. A new museum facility is currently under construction adjacent to the Tacoma Dome
Tacoma Dome
The Tacoma Dome is an indoor arena located in Tacoma, Washington, USA, approximately 30 miles south of Seattle.-History:...
. Most of the cars on display will be donated by the family of Harold LeMay
Harold LeMay
Harold E. LeMay was the owner of Harold LeMay Enterprises, a refuse company in the Tacoma, Washington metro area. Harold LeMay amassed the largest privately owned collection of automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, all manner of other vehicles and related memorabilia in the world...
to the Museum.
Details
Harold LeMayHarold LeMay
Harold E. LeMay was the owner of Harold LeMay Enterprises, a refuse company in the Tacoma, Washington metro area. Harold LeMay amassed the largest privately owned collection of automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, all manner of other vehicles and related memorabilia in the world...
owned a successful refuse company, Harold LeMay Enterprises, within the Tacoma metro area and amassed the world's largest private car collection. After his death, the city of Tacoma donated 10 acres (4 ha) of land next to the Tacoma Dome
Tacoma Dome
The Tacoma Dome is an indoor arena located in Tacoma, Washington, USA, approximately 30 miles south of Seattle.-History:...
for the Museum that would contain most of his car collection. At a price of $60 million, the Museum is being called "America's Car Museum." The Museum will be about 165000 square feet (1.5 ha), and will contain Harold LeMay's cars along with gift shops, restoration
Automotive Restoration
Automobile restoration is the process of repairing the degraded aspect of a car to return it to an overall "authentic" condition. To renovate a car without updating or upgrading it by keeping in line with how it would have appeared when first offered for sale...
shops, lecture halls, galleries, a banquet room, and café.
The Museum will have a 500 car gallery showing cars remarkable for their speed, technology and design, as well as their importance to car culture. Outside the museum will be a 3 acres (1.2 ha) courtyard and clubhouse for car clubs. The Museum may also become home to the LeMay Annual Car Show, which is currently held on the last Saturday of August at the Marymount grounds and the LeMay homestead. The new Museum is set to open June 2, 2012 but, is currently open to the public on the historic Marymount grounds in Spanaway, WA. When the new Museum facility opens, it will be the largest automobile museum in the world (in square footage and in the number of cars on display).
Donors and Sponsors
Harold LeMay's wife, Nancy LeMay donated $15 million to the museum. The City of Tacoma's land donated to the museum is estimated to be worth $17 million.AAA Washington made the largest corporate donation to date with its 2008 commitment of $1.6 million.
Other major Museum sponsors include Bonhams
Bonhams
Bonhams is a privately owned British auction house founded in 1793. It is the third largest auctioneer after Sotheby's and Christie's, and conducts around 700 auctions per year. It has 700 employees....
, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, The News Tribune, and State Farm Insurance
State Farm Insurance
State Farm Insurance is a group of insurance and financial services companies in the United States. The company also has operations in Canada....
.
Other donors include various car collectors, auto clubs and citizens worldwide.