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America's Car Museum

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LeMay - America's Car Museum
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EstablishedJune 2, 2012; 14 years ago (2012-06-02)
LocationTacoma, Washington, USA
Coordinates47°14′10″N 122°25′48″W / 47.236°N 122.430°W / 47.236; -122.430
TypeAutomobile museum
Collection size
350 automobiles[1]
Visitors400,000+ expected annually[2]
FoundersHarold LeMay and Nancy LeMay
PresidentBruce Patton (Interim CEO)
CuratorBruce Patton
ArchitectsAlan Grant, LARGE architecture
Websitewww.americascarmuseum.org

LeMay - America's Car Museum is an automotive museum in the city of Tacoma, Washington, United States. Many of the cars on display were donated to the museum by the family of Harold LeMay. The museum is adjacent to the Tacoma Dome and opened on June 2, 2012.[3]

History

Harold LeMay owned a successful refuse company, Harold LeMay Enterprises, within the Tacoma metro area and amassed the world's largest private car collection, numbering over 3,000 cars at its peak.[2] After his death, the city of Tacoma donated 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land next to the Tacoma Dome for the museum that would contain some of his car collection. The majority of the collection remains at the LeMay Family Collection at Marymount in nearby Spanaway, Washington.

In 2010, ground broke on the museum, designed by Alan Grant of LARGE architecture and constructed by JTM Construction.[4][5] It was completed in 2012, and over 10,000 people attended the opening ceremony on June 2, 2012.[6]

The museum has 165,000 square feet (1.53 ha) of exhibit space, a 3.5 acre show field, and contains a 350-car gallery showing cars notable for their speed, technology and design, as well as their importance to car culture. The building also contains administrative space, a gift shop, restoration shop, lecture halls, a banquet room, and a café.[7] The asymmetrical metal shell wrapping the building is designed to echo the form of an automobile's shell built over a rectilinear chassis.[4]

From the mezzanine level, main level, and outside patio, there are views of Downtown Tacoma, Thea Foss Waterway, Commencement Bay, and the Olympic Mountains. The outdoor show field is suitable for hosting car shows, auctions, swap meets, car club events, new car launches, and a concours d'Elegance.[8]

The museum has had "Club Auto" satellite locations in Tacoma, Washington, Kirkland, Washington, and Lakewood, Colorado.[9]

Management

Funding

The projected cost of the museum was $100 million. Harold LeMay's wife, Nancy LeMay, donated $15 million to the museum. The land donated to the museum by the City of Tacoma is estimated to be worth $17 million.[2]

The American Automobile Association (AAA) of Washington made the largest corporate donation to date with its 2008 commitment of $1.6 million.[10] Other major museum sponsors are Bonhams, Napa Auto Parts, Boeing, The News Tribune, and State Farm Insurance. Other donors include various car collectors, auto clubs and citizens worldwide.

Attendance

In 2012, the first year the museum opened, 133,500 people visited.[11] 90,000 people visited the museum in 2024.[12]

Exhibitions

Permanent Collections[13]

  • Classics & Custom Coachwork
  • Lucky's Garage
  • Legends of Motorsport: The NASCAR Story
  • Route 66
  • Master Collector (Rotates Annually)
  • Powering the Future: Learning Lab[13]

Special Exhibitions

Past Exhibitions

  • 75 Years of Porsche[17]
  • Alfa Romeo. Born from Passion.[18]
  • American Muscle: Rivals to the End[19] (later Modified Madness)[20]
  • An American Legacy – Celebrating the Passion and Vision of Harold & Nancy LeMay[21]
  • British Invasion[22]
  • Cadillac - The Standard of the World[23]
  • Corvette Creativity[24]
  • Exotics@ACM[25]
  • Ford F-Series: The Truck That Grew Up With America[26]
  • Heroes of Bavaria - 75 Years of BMW Motorsports[27]
  • Reclaimed Rust: The James Hetfield Collection[28]
  • Saleen: A Journey from the Heart of a Racer to America's Supercar[29]
  • Shinka - An Immersive Japanese Automobile Exhibit[30]
  • Through the Lens – Cars Defined by an American Century[31]
  • Tools of the Trade - Powering the Working Class[32]
  • Tuners@ACM[33]

References

  1. ↑ Rider, Alan (May 25, 2012). "A Car Hoard, Pruned to a Collection, Gets a Fitting Home". The New York Times. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nicole Brodeur (May 27, 2012), "Tacoma's LeMay car museum honors the American automobile", Seattle Times
  3. ↑ Jonathan Schultz (June 4, 2012), "After a Decade of Planning, LeMay Museum Opens", The New York Times (wheels blog)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Large Architecture | America's Car Museum". Large Architecture. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  5. ↑ "LeMay—America's Car Museum | JTM Construction | Construction Services & Commercial Builders". JTM Construction. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  6. ↑ Duchene, Paul; Newspapers, Tribune (June 9, 2012). "Auto museum rolls out after 15 years on the drawing board". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Car Museum | LeMay - America's Car Museum | Tacoma, WA". www.americascarmuseum.org. Archived from the original on February 1, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  8. ↑ Berthon, David (February 5, 2013). "Museum honours America's love affair with the car". Drive.com.au. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  9. ↑ Club Auto, LeMay Museum, archived from the original on April 16, 2008, retrieved March 13, 2012
  10. ↑ "Tacoma's LeMay car museum honors the American automobile". The Seattle Times. May 26, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  11. ↑ David Madeira. Return of organization exempt from income tax 2012: LEMAY-AMERICAS CAR MUSEUM (PDF) (Form 990). EIN 911867848. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  12. ↑ Christina Hannan. Return of organization exempt from income tax 2024: LEMAY-AMERICAS CAR MUSEUM (PDF) (Form 990). EIN 911867848. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Automotive Exhibits | America's Car Museum | Tacoma, WA". americascarmuseum.org. Archived from the original on August 10, 2025. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Now On Display: American Built". America's Car Museum. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  15. ↑ "For Gold & Glory". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
  16. ↑ "The Birth of the American Supercar". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  17. ↑ "75 Years of Porsche". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Alfa Romeo. Born from Passion". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022.
  19. ↑ "American Muscle: Rivals to the End". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Modified Madness". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016.
  21. ↑ "An American Legacy – Celebrating the Passion and Vision of Harold & Nancy LeMay". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023.
  22. ↑ "British Invasion". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on January 22, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Cadillac". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Corvette Creativity: An Automotive Canvas". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Exotics@ACM". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Ford F-Series: The Truck That Grew Up with America". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Heroes of Bavaria". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Reclaimed Rust: The James Hetfield Collection". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Saleen: A Journey from the Heart of a Racer to America's Supercar". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Shinka Through The Lens". LeMay - America's Car Museum. January 31, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Through the Lens – Cars Defined by an American Century". LeMay – America’s Car Museum.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)[dead link]
  32. ↑ "Tools of the Trade - Powering the Working Class". Archived from the original on June 8, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Tuners@ACM". LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019.
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