Ambitious Campaign Would Guarantee Preservation for Decades to Come

The Pearl Harbor Museum commemorated December 7th with a campaign to raise $51 million to restore the aging battlefield.

After 84 years, the field has aged quite a bit, despite good upkeep and attentive groundskeeping. The hangars, control tower, and runways are all the same original fixtures that were attacked in 1941, standing tall as a witness to one of our country’s worst sucker-punches. "Remember Pearl Harbor" will be the “most ambitious and consequential transformation in Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum’s history”, raising the funds to renovate Hangar 79.

The 80,000-square-foot maintenance and engine repair facility now houses a plethora of vintage aircraft from the war and beyond, but the facility remained largely unrepaired after the faithful attack. The Navy was too busy with the Pacific campaign to replace bullet-riddled windows and scored sheet metal, so Hangar 79 spent the war years as a workplace for fighters, bombers, and gear on its way further West. 

Today, Hangar 79 needs some attention, as many WWII-era structures do these days. The planned renovations will get revamped displays and exhibitions, with a host of stories from all walks of WWII life, from frontline fighters to home-front ferries. Phase 1 in the plan will also reimagine the museum’s Hangar 37 with a tightly focused narrative of the December 7th attack itself, “creating an experience that resonates with and inspires future generations.” 

Phase 2 in the plan will go to archival protection, aircraft restoration, and maintenance. Phase 3 will fund the reconstruction of Hangar 79s extensions, returning it to its original 1940s configuration. (Hey, the Navy wasn’t worried about keeping things period-correct back then, they were busy!) Phase 4 will support the Museum’s endowment for long-term viability. 

"Here on Ford Island, in the heart of Pearl Harbor, the Museum is the guardian of the history of America's World War II aviation battlefield," said Museum Board Chair General Raymond E. Johns (Air Force, Retired)

"In this iconic place, history is felt through the stories of the aircraft, artifacts, and courageous people who defended freedom in a pivotal moment that shaped our nation," said Museum Chief Executive Officer John Hiltz. "It still inspires our American values and character that define us, creating transformative moments that inspire future generations with stories of bravery, sacrifice, and hope that remind us of what it means to stand together in the face of adversity."

FMI: www.pearlharboraviationmuseum.org