Phase 1A Build Updates

Do you remember this stark, empty, white construction wall?

Its been dressed up a bit. (I was clearly using a much better setting on my camera to get the below shot.) The photos along the length of the wall are photos Marine Corps Combat Camera have taken in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even though we do not have gallery space for these conflicts, the museum is dedicated to having actions of current Marines documented in some way as many units tour the museum before deployment, or come through after deployment with their families, new boot camp graduates stop in as they return home with their parents and poolees (future Marine hopefuls on the delayed entry program) come in with their recruiters.

The big white wall under the Fighting top manned by Colonial Marines has been dressed up with a preview of what guests can expect in the Spring of 2010.

There will be exhibit galleries depicting Marine Corps history from the Revolution, Civil War, Boxer Rebellion, World War 1 and Early Marine Corps Aviation.

This is part of a replica of a Curtis Flyer that, I think all of us that volunteered in Restoration have worked on at some point. I know, it doesn't look like an air plane, does it? But it will. Actually, it probably already does. They will be moving large artifacts such as this into the galleries prior to the walls being built. I remember some really cool aircraft back in storage.

The final Museum change was our exit hall from the gallery. If any of you have ever visited the museum in the past, you may recall that this hall was very dark, kind of scary. In the middle was a weapons tower we affectionately called the "Cheese Grater" because that is what it looked like.

As you can see, the Cheese Grater is gone. Along the right wall is a photo display from 9/11 and along the left wall is combat art from the current war on terrorism. I will feature some of the combat art paintings in a future blog.