Alberta Aviation Museum could be in jeopardy without financial support
Posted November 1, 2023 5:52 pm.
It’s not every day you get to sit in the cockpit of a fighter jet. The City of Edmonton has listed Hanger 14 for sale and the Alberta Aviation Museum could be in jeopardy of being moved.
The Alberta Aviation Museum sits inside Hanger 14, where aircrews trained during the Second World War. But the building needs some serious repairs.
“The big thing is the trusses. So some of the trusses are all wood, they’re Douglas fir cut in B.C. and they’ve checked and some are cracked. So some of those need to be replaced,” said Ryan Lee, a curator at the Alberta Aviation Museum.
According to the City’s listing the repairs would cost upwards of $42 million. Requiring whoever buys the building to honour the musuem’s existing lease through 2028.
Lee says they want to stay long-term.
“You know we’re looking at taking over the building ourselves and staying here permanently and taking over the maintenance of the building. But it’s gonna be a huge job,” said Lee.
Lee stressed, at least $23 million would be needed right away for the structural concerns.
Hanger 14 sits on over five acres of land and is a legally protected provincial and municipal historic resource. This means any changes need to be approved by the City and the province.
