Seattle Museum of Flight
The museum's Great Gallery in 2005
|
|
| Established | 1965 |
|---|---|
| Location |
King County International Airport (Boeing Field) 9404 E. Marginal Way Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47°31′08″N 122°18′00″W / 47.519°N 122.3°W |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Visitors | 500,000+ per year |
| President | Douglas R. King |
| Curator | Vacant since May 2016 |
| Website | museumofflight.org |
The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum in the northwest United States. It is located at the southern end of King County International Airport (Boeing Field), in the city of Tukwila, just south of Seattle. It was established in 1965 and is fully accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. As the largest private air and space museum in the world, it also hosts the largest K-12 educational programs in the world.
The museum attracts over 500,000 visitors every year. The museum serves more than 140,000 students yearly through both its onsite programs: a Challenger Learning Center, an Aviation Learning Center, and a summer camp (ACE), as well as outreach programs that travel throughout Washington and Oregon.
The Museum of Flight can trace its roots back to the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation, which was founded in 1965 to recover and restore a 1929 Boeing 80A-1, which had been discovered by in Anchorage, Alaska. The restoration took place over a 16-year period, and after completion, was put on display as a centerpiece for the museum. In 1968, the name "Museum of Flight" first appeared in use in a 10,000-square-foot facility, rented at the Seattle Center. Planning began at this time for a more permanent structure, and preliminary concepts were drafted.
In 1975, The William E. Boeing Red Barn was acquired for one dollar from the Port of Seattle, which had taken possession of it after Boeing abandoned it during World War II. The 1909 all-wooden Red Barn, the original home of the company, was barged two miles (3 km) up the Duwamish River to its current location at the southwestern end of Boeing Field. Fundraising was slow in the late 1970s, and after restoration, the two-story Red Barn was opened to the public in 1983.
...
Wikipedia