Corvette Museum to Fill Sinkhole and Restore the SkyDome

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Corvette Museum to Fill Sinkhole and Restore the SkyDome

Since the National Corvette Museum is a non-profit organization, the decision on what to do with the sinkhole in the Skydome ultimately came down to money.

After giving initial signs a few months ago that a portion of the sinkhole would remain as a tourist attraction, the museum’s board of directors voted Saturday instead to fill the hole and restore the building to its previous condition.

That’s sad news for enthusiasts who had hoped future visitors would still be able to view the sinkhole, but the cost to do that turned out to be just too much.

“We really wanted to preserve a portion of the hole so that guests for years to come could see a little bit of what it was like, but after receiving more detailed pricing, the cost outweighs the benefit,” said Museum Executive Director Wendell Strode. “At the June board meeting, the information available at that time indicated a cost of around $500,000 more to keep the hole, but after incorporating additional safety features and vapor barriers for humidity control, the price tag rose to $1 million more than the cost to put the Skydome back how it was.”

Keeping even part of the sinkhole would have forced the museum to build 35-foot retaining walls inside the sinkhole, as well as additional micro piling, visible steel beams running through the hole, and soil nailing. That would have added considerably to the cost of the repairs, as well as taking away from the natural look of the original sinkhole.

Fortunately, if you haven’t already made it to the museum to see the sinkhole, you’ve still got time. The museum announced that “the interest in our new attraction has been phenomenal” so the hole will be left as it is now through the Vets ‘n Vettes event Nov. 6-8, 2014.

Repairs will then begin.

Word also came this weekend that Chevrolet and the National Corvette Museum will restore just three of the swallowed Corvettes – the 2009 Corvette ZR1 prototype, the 1 millionth Corvette produced (a 1992 white convertible), and a 1962 Corvette. The other five cars were so badly damaged that they will be left as-is and become part of a future display at the museum.

Corvette Museum to Fill Sinkhole and Restore the SkyDome

Corvette Museum to Fill Sinkhole and Restore the SkyDome

“There has been an outpouring of messages from enthusiasts the world over, asking us not to restore all of the cars,” said Wendell Strode, executive director for the National Corvette Museum. “For Corvette enthusiasts, the damage to the cars is part of their history, and part narrative of the National Corvette Museum. Restoring them all would negate the significance of what happened.”


Source:
National Corvette Museum

Related:
Corvette Museum’s Blue Devil Corvette ZR1 to be Restored by GM in September
Corvette Museum’s Board Opts to Keep Part of the Sky Dome Sinkhole Visible
[VIDEO] Behind the Scenes of the Corvette Recovery Operation at the National Corvette Museum

 



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