Walter P. Chrysler Museum will be shut down end of this year

[nitoh]

I friend of mine send this:

Roe Green ........


Very sad news to report from Auburn Hills: At the end of December, 2012, the Walter P. Chrysler Museum Foundation (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization) will cease to exist. At the same time, the Walter P. Chrysler Museum will be closed to the public. The Museum will continue to be available for rental for private events until the end of February, 2013. At that time, the building will
undergo renovations and be converted to corporate use. The approximately 67 vehicles in the Museum Collection that were donated by the Corporation when the Foundation was established will be sold / transferred back to the Corporation. There will be a press release issued in the next day or two.

On a personal note: I have been a volunteer at the Museum since July of 1999, two months before the Museum opened to the public. When I began working at the Auburn Hills Headquarters in 1997, I watched the construction of the building and couldn't wait to be involved in the Museum activities. I volunteered frequently until I retired in 2001 after 37 years with the company. After I retired, I spent many quality hours at the Museum as a volunteer. I even served on the staff twice: 18 months as the Financial Analysis / Accounting Manager and 13 months as the Gift Shop Manager. The closing of the Museum leaves quite a void in my life. This from Mr. Roe Green

 

[commando1]

 

[detmatt]

I'll get to the bottom of this, my dad has volunteered there since it opened.

 

[1978 NYB]

I hope it's not true!!!!

 

[polara71]

I hate Fiat... If this is true its Obamas fault. Because of the made marriage

 

[1978 NYB]

I might have to rearrange my trip to Wisconsin next month and make a stop in Detroit!

 

[polara71]

Good idea....

 

[goodneighbour]

For corp. use! Are you f@#%in serious? How many other empty f(*kin buildings do they have to pick from in Detroit? Or down the freeway in Flint? Or across the river in Windsor?

 

[commando1]

For corp. use! Are you f@#%in serious? How many other empty f(*kin buildings do they have to pick from in Detroit? Or down the freeway in Flint? Or across the river in Windsor?

You're shaking the wrong tree trying to get apples.
"Corporate" is in Italy....

I might have to rearrange my trip to Wisconsin next month and make a stop in Detroit....

...and have a talk with them.

 

[1978 NYB]

I may have to blockade the doors with the Ny'er so they can't remove any cars!

 

[Greg B.]

Sadly true:

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/11/30/walter-p-chrysler-museum-to-close/

 

[Stormer]

I may have to blockade the doors with the Ny'er so they can't remove any cars!

You could block the whole damn street with that thing....

 

[goodneighbour]

I`m sure Walter`s granddaughter won`t be impressesd. MCG issue297 page 56

 

[goodneighbour]

You could block the whole damn street with that thing....

I`d bet all of us could surround the whole building!

 

[detmatt]

The cars aren't going anywhere, I'm sure. They want the cars in there for the corporate events. That place oozes heritage! My guess is that it will be open to the public for special events several times a year.

 

[1978 NYB]

Well, I'll have to definitely stop next month on my run to Lambeau Field!!!

 

[Fratzog]

Sadly true:

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/11/30/walter-p-chrysler-museum-to-close/[/QUOTE

Someone will have to explain to me how you go that far into the red after running in the black regularly.

 

[1978 NYB]

I didn't see anything on the official WPC website but I did see this. This is an American tradegy!

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/20...hrysler-buys-collection-to-preserve-heritage/

http://wpchryslermuseum.org/

 

[detmatt]

Bob, when are you planning your trip? I'd love to have you to the shop and accompany you to the museum.
I spoke with my dad and it doesn't sound good for the museum and its contents. The way he understands it, the main tower at the HQ was built to house 12,000 people and they currently have 14,000 in it. They moved a couple of departments to a conference center on campus where they held a lot of vendor meetings and now they need a place for that, so the museum....
he said they sold off a few cars several months ago and that cars that are privately owned will be released to there owners. What will happen to the rest is any bodies guess. The paid staff doesn't even know a heck of a lot accept when there position will be eliminated.

 

[tbm3fan]

Being involved with one naval museum I would really like to see the books on this museum to see how they lost money in the last two years. The returns show salaries of 210,000 in 2010 and then 357,000 in 2011. Then there is the "other expenses" of 1,017,000 in 2010 and 724,00 in 2011. I'd really like to see the line by line breakdown on those other expenses. The 2009 return had 353,000 for salaries and only 520,000 in other expenses. Being a spin off as a non-profit, by Chrysler on Chrysler grounds, I would have to imagine their rent at a token $1 per year. At least it should have been. So with a $5 million profit in 2008 and $624,000 in 2009 then two loses of $1,460,000 total they have to close with a positive balance of around $3,217,000???