Above: Pearl Harbor survivors and other dignitaries break ground during a ceremony for the new Hawaii Pearl Harbor Memorial Museum and Visitor Center on the back lawn of the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael A. Lantron)
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Groundbreaking for Pearl Harbor Memorial Museum & Visitor Center
Congressman Neil Abercrombie the joined the community at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new multi-million dollar Pearl Harbor Memorial Museum and Visitor Center on November 5, 2008 at Pearl Harbor. It was a day when Abercrombie saw much of what he envisions for Pearl Harbor, and the preservation of its history, come into greater focus.
Private and federal funds will pay for the $58 million center. Congressman Abercrombie supported House legislation that provided the federal contribution to the project. In addition, he has been a strong advocate for one of Pearl Harbor’s other famous attractions, the USS Missouri, anchored at a pier on Ford Island. Abercrombie earlier this year secured approval of a provision in a major defense bill requiring the U.S. Navy to eliminate for two years the $207,000 paid in annual rent by the USS Missouri Memorial Association to keep the legendary battleship moored at Pearl Harbor. The rent break will help the association prepare its finances for a major overhaul and overdue maintenance work.
The existing visitor center which has primarily served the Arizona Memorial needs to be replaced because the structure is failing. The center as built in 1980 on fill material that was dredged from Pearl Harbor decades earlier and has been slowly settling to the point where the center has been raised several times. But the settling of the building has left cracks in concrete walls and exposed steel beams. The building is also too small to handle the constant increase in visitors—more than 1.5 million a year—at the center which was built to accommodate 750,000 people a year. Meanwhile, engineers concluded that the life-expectancy of the building was growing short.
In addition, the growing popularity of other Pearl Harbor visitor attractions, such as the USS Missouri and USS Oklahoma Memorial, has underscored a need for a central ticketing operation which will be housed in the new visitor center.
The new facility will also feature a greatly expanded museum and comprehensive interpretation of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu, as well as the events of WWII in the Pacific.
Construction of the new visitor center is planned in phases over the next two years enabling the center and tours to the USS Arizona Memorial to remain open throughout the entire construction period. Construction is expected to begin within the next few months with completion schedule for December 2010.
Related Video Stories:
Abercrombie is "Mighty" big help to "Mo." Congressman Abercrombie gets a two-year rent break to help the USS Missouri Memorial Association face a critical period in the battleship’s history. (4:51 minutes-View with Windows Media Player)
Dedicating the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Congressman Abercrombie stands in the shadow of the USS Missouri Memorial to talk about the Dec. 7, 2007 dedication ceremony for the new USS Oklahoma Memorial which honors the 429 crewmembers who perished when the battleship sank during the attack that started World War II. Abercrombie was a featured speaker at the dedication. (1:23 minutes-View with Windows Media Player)
Part II: Dedicating the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor. More highlights of the Dec. 7, 2007 dedication ceremony for the new USS Oklahoma Memorial and a closer look at the special features of memorial. (4:37 minutes-View with Windows Media Player)
*************** Below: Rear Adm. Dixon Smith, commander, Navy Region Hawaii and commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific and Jon Jarvis, regional director, National Park Service, make the first cut into a cake following a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Hawaii Pearl Harbor Memorial Museum and Visitor Center on the back lawn of the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center.
