Yankee Air Museum now has until Nov. 1 to raise $3M to buy ex-bomber plant

The Yankee Air Museum now has until Nov. 1 to raise $8 million to save part of the former Willow Run bomber plant in Ypsilanti Township from demolition, museum founder Dennis Norton said.

 

Since Sept. 10, the museum has raised nearly $400,000, knocking the remaining amount left down to $3 million, Norton said. The museum has raised $5 million so far.

 

Bruce Rasher, RACER Trust Redevelopment Manager, confirmed the museum has been given additional time. The museum previously had an Oct. 1 deadline to raise the funds.

 

“RACER Trust is pleased that we’re able to give additional time to Yankee Air Museum to continue its efforts to raise the funds necessary to purchase and renovate a portion of the former GM Willow Run Powertrain Plant,” Rasher said. “We wish Yankee Air Museum success in its campaign and we will continue to support the effort consistent with the mission of the trust. This will not impact ongoing efforts to redevelop the site for reuse as a connected vehicle research center.”

 

RACER Trust owns the property that the museum wants to move its operations to, which is a portion of the plant that manufactured B-24 “Liberator” bombers for World War II.

 

“They told us we can at least count until Nov. 1 and play it by ear,” Norton said. “My guess is it won’t be much longer than that.”

 

The museum would purchase a total of about 840,000 square feet of the site, or 19.3 acres, from owner RACER Trust. The museum’s plans include parking for about 700 vehicles, and a 1,000-person capacity conference hall.

 

Of the $8 million fundraising goal, RACER Trust knocked about $2 million off the top after it re-engineered its demolition plan to preserve electrical lines. Rewiring the electrical lines would have cost about $2 million.

 

Norton said the museum has been in talks with some potentially big donors who could help cover the remaining amount of funds left to be raised.

 

“We continue to make progress and we are actively talking to interesting people that can write some big, big checks,” Norton said.