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| Home > Museum News > Environmental assessment for fourth building to begin at National Museum of the U.S. Air Force |
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Story at a Glance
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• Contract awarded for fourth building environmental assessment
• New building will house Space, Presidential Aircraft and Global Reach Galleries
• Current plans call for building to be initially opened in 2015
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Environmental assessment for fourth building to begin at National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
Posted 8/8/2012 Updated 8/7/2012
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by Sarah Swan
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
8/8/2012 - DAYTON, Ohio -- The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force took another step in preparing for the addition of its fourth building.
Air Force Materiel Command, which maintains operational oversight of the museum, transferred funds for the environmental assessment, which will include a site investigation, regulatory review and evaluation of the project to provide technical and scientific analysis of potential environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation activities for the new building. Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure of Cincinnati was awarded the contract, and the work will be completed by March 29, 2013.
"We are excited to move ahead on the initial stages of preparing for the fourth building," said Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jack Hudson, museum director. "This new gallery space will give us the opportunity to expand to share even more Air Force stories with our visitors."
The 224,000-square-foot building will house the Space Gallery, Presidential Aircraft Gallery and Global Reach Gallery, as well as dedicated, interactive spaces for educational programs.
The Space Gallery will tell the remarkable story of Air Force activities in space, featuring major exhibit components such as the NASA Crew Compartment Trainer, a Titan IV space launch vehicle, Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft, and many recently retired NASA artifacts such as a nose cap assembly, landing gear strut and other astronaut equipment.
The new Presidential Gallery will permit the museum to bring the presidential aircraft to the main facility, allowing all visitors the opportunity to view this historic collection of nine presidential aircraft, among them the Douglas VC-54 used by Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, the Douglas VC-118 used by President Truman, the Lockheed VC-121E used by President Eisenhower and the Boeing VC-137C used by President Kennedy.
The Global Reach Gallery will house large aircraft currently in the museum's collection, such as the C-141 Hanoi Taxi, and those anticipated to become part of the collection, such as a C-5 Galaxy and KC-135. The Air Force's airlift and air refueling missions also will be explained in this gallery.
The Air Force Museum Foundation, an IRS 501(c)(3) organization chartered to assist the National Museum of the United States Air Force with the development and expansion of facilities, is in the process of raising the funds to meet the growing requirements of the museum. Currently $39.3 million has been secured by the Foundation for the fourth building project, which is expected to cost an estimated $48 million.
Current plans call for construction to begin in 2013, and the building to be initially opened in 2015. At that time, the museum will continue to populate the new building until all exhibits are completed. More information about the museum's expansion is available at www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/expansion.asp.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is located on Springfield Street, six miles northeast of downtown Dayton. It is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day). Admission and parking are free. For more information about the museum, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.
NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, please contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Education Division at (937) 255-3286.
NOTE TO MEDIA: For more information, please contact Sarah Swan at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Division at (937) 255-1283. |
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