Harold and Nancy LeMay amassed the largest privately owned collection of automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, other vehicles and related memorabilia in the world. At its peak, the LeMay Collection numbered in excess of 3,000 vehicles and thousands of artifacts and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest privately owned collection in the world; impressive if accomplished by a King, but jaw dropping, awesome when accomplished by a local businessman from Tacoma, Washington.
In 1998, Harold and Nancy LeMay formed the 501c3 charitable organization, The Harold E. LeMay Museum, and committed themselves to donating the vast LeMay Collection to the Museum for the benefit of the public. The LeMay Museum was chartered to secure, preserve and interpret the valuable LeMay Collection, along with additional vehicles and artifacts that it may acquire, in order to explore the broad themes of American mobility and lifestyle in an instructive and entertaining manner.
The magnitude of the LeMay Collection, and its power to relate the story of the American experience with the automobile, demands a new paradigm in transportation museums. The LeMay will be an inviting place, eliciting memories and stories from those who visit. It will provide a venue to explore history, design, technology and restoration. In short, the LeMay will create “America’s Auto Experience” and become a world-class tourist destination in its own right.
The exciting design concepts for the future home of the Harold E. LeMay Museum were approved by the Museum’s Board of Directors at their meeting on November 4, 2003. The design for the LeMay Collection’s future home are stunning and present a campus complex that includes: a great pavilion with a tower showcasing 150 of the finest cars in the collection; a concourse capable of presenting 100 cars in displays related to culture, speed, design and technology; galleries for experiential opportunities; a restoration shop; a 3-acre courtyard for shows, auctions and rallies; cafes, retail and entertainment areas; a clubhouse for use by sponsoring car clubs; and most impressively - viewable storage for up to 2,000 automobiles on site! The architects sought to design a public gathering place for fun, exploration and celebration in a building that will become an icon for the world’s foremost auto museum.
The LeMay Museum has received enthusiastic support from the City of Tacoma, a strong partner which has provided the 9 acre building site next to the Tacoma Dome, valued at nearly $17,500,000. Gensler Architects have worked closely with the Tacoma Dome and City to ensure synergy between the Dome and new Museum. The 3-acre auto courtyard will provide a beautiful environment that will invite leisurely walks and lively car rallies.
Nancy LeMay is thrilled with the plans for the Museum’s future home. “Harold would love the design, the way it suggests a car, and most importantly, that it is designed to become a gathering place for the community. I believe this is a great vision and that we can and will get it done”.
The museum has poised itself to begin the national campaign to create America’s Car Museum in 2007, enabling the Museum to open its new facility in 2009. For more information about America’s Car Museum or to schedule a tour of The LeMay collection, please email us at info@lemaymuseum.org or call 253-779-8490.
---www.lemaymuseum.org
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