I thought this would interest all the US military on this forum. Inside The Army's Spectacular Hidden Treasure Room Perhaps they should forego one Presidents Library.
Wonder if the Smithsonian could/would be able to build a building and rotate a series of themed collections from this storage facility until the Ft. Belvoir museum can be built? The Smithsonian can recoup some of it's initial investment in the cost of adding another building through admission ticket sales, the public can actually see some of these artifacts, and the word can get out that there is a need to build a public museum of this nature. I would think that there might be a 1%er or two, or perhaps a Corporation that has profited from producing some of these artifacts throughout many of these conflicts/wars/humanitarian missions, that they might be interested in donating some funding to build this military history museum. It's good PR. Don't know if this is possible to do, but it would be a nice gesture if this could be done "without strings attached" from the large donor class. V/R, nwlivewire
There are thousands of empty federal buildings across the USA, surely these could be utilised for this museum. At the moments they cost the US taxpayer $1 billion a year to maintain.
Another great idea. It may be that due to the costs of retro-fitting an old building with all the temperature/climate controls, heating, air, sunlight, security, etc., it may be cheaper to build new with state-of-the-art, energy efficient equipment. And God knows only what else is needed to protect and preserve 250 year-old paper, art work, wood, clothing and other items that can rapidly degrade. I know a friend of mine had to get a small, delicate painting placed in "museum glass" and that piece of glass was 250 USD. - about 100 USD per square foot. nwlivewire
More info on this Collection U.S. Army Center Of Military History creation of the General Staff historical branch in July 1943. Operational control is under the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Personally, I think the military should focus more on getting better at killing people...not art/antique collecting. 1 billion a year could be much better spent on troops, equipment, new technologies. Take the collection and spread them out to all the existing small museums on military bases (which most have, and some have more than one), place some in HQ buildings where the brass is located, give some of the stuff back to the military units the antique was linked to, put them in other high profile government buildings, auction some of the stuff off.....basically do anything with it other than let it sit there and waste the taxpayer's money. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
They could give a lot of the stuff from the museums to the PI to upgrade their armed forces. Just say'n.
I'm sure they could do this with some of the less significant and more "robust" artifacts requiring a minimum of protection from the elements. The US Gov't could lease or sell off all those old, outmoded government buildings, too. Many of them are located in blighted, urban areas. If put to good use and "repurposed", many could help to create a revitalization to those local neighborhoods and the folks who live in/near these areas. Asbestos abatement is expensive. HAZMAT and retrofitting is expensive. But some of these buildings are significate for their architectural and period construction, not to mention the original intent of why some of these buildings were erected in the first place. Others could easily be bull-dozed and replaced with high-rise parking lots. But MANY other really cool things can be put into place on property no longer in use by the military. See what has happed to some of the building structures on property formerly known as Fort Ord (Army): Fort Ord - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ********** Apparently, the Army can place a state-of-the-art museum on empty property it already has. It would be co-located very nearby this state-of-the-art museum storage facility. This is a very cost effective measure as it cuts down on handling/preparation of artifact costs, labor costs, and transportation and security costs. It would create jobs, both short term and long term, and create a "One Stop" location for visitors and tourists who want to view significant military historical artifacts. Personally, I am much easier able to afford to see such a museum if the vitally important artifacts are located in one place, rather than afford to go to 20 or 30 places around the entire continent of the USA. The WWII Museum in New Orleans is a case in point. I went to visit this brand new museum this past June. It has several buildings (some were not open just yet), and it was an AMAZING museum to visit! VERY interactive - many videos, pictures - VERY organized - I cannot speak highly enough of this facility and all it offers to the public. Top shelf, comprehensive, educational, informative, and easy to navigate, it wouldn't surprise me if this museum becomes one of the "Top Ten" to visit in the world. Very unique and well done! The Army could do a very similar thing. It would become a museum worthy of the cost to build and last for generations to come. For all of us - to include international visitors. Military history would really come alive for kids of all ages (field trips, etc). From age 8 to 80, they would see many segments, themes, and periods of time, and would leave with a much more informed mind and sense of pride on so many different levels. Family in the area who have family coming to visit them - well, this could be a sure-fire winner as an activity to do. IMHO, the pluses far outweigh the negatives. "GET HER DONE!" V/R, nwlivewire