Established | 6 July 1974 |
---|---|
Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums |
Collections | Antique and Classic cars and related memorabilia |
Collection size | 120 classic cars, antique cars, special interest cars |
Director | Brandon J. Anderson |
Owner | Auburn Automotive Heritage Inc. |
Website | Official website |
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Facility | |
Location | Auburn, Indiana |
Coordinates | 41°21′21″N85°3′26″W / 41.35583°N 85.05722°W |
Built | 1930 |
Architect | Strauss, A. M.; Sheets Inc. |
Architectural style | Art Deco |
NRHP reference No. | 78000029 [1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | September 21, 1978 |
Designated NHLD | April 5, 2005 [2] |
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum is an automobile museum located in Auburn, Indiana in the United States. Opened in 1974, it is dedicated to preserving cars built by Auburn Automobile, Cord Automobile, and Duesenberg Motors Company.
The museum is located in the former administration building of the Auburn Automobile Company, which operated on this property from the early 20th century until its closure in 1937. The building, along with the adjacent service and new parts building, and the L-29 building now occupied by the National Auto & Truck Museum, were together declared a National Historic Landmark in 2005. This complex was recognized as one of the nation's best-preserved examples of an independent auto company's facilities. [2] [3] The showroom and administrative buildings were designed by architect Alvin M. Strauss in Art Deco style and were built in 1930. The Auburn Automobile Company had its genesis in a carriage manufacturer, and at its height had more than 18 acres (7.3 ha) of facilities here. After its closure, the administration building housed a business selling original and reproduction parts for a number of discontinued manufacturers, including the Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg nameplates, until 1960. [3]
The museum is organized into seven galleries that display over 120 cars and related exhibits such as restored Auburn Automobile company offices. Some exhibits have interactive kiosks that allow a visitor to hear the sounds the car makes and to see related videos and photographs that show the engineering that went into its design. [4]
The museum exhibits the same Stinson Junior airplane that was on display in when the building was opened in 1930. [5]
Auburn is a city in DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,412 at the 2020 census. Founded in 1836 by Wesley Park (1811–1868), the city is the county seat of DeKalb County. Auburn is also known as Home of the Classics.
Cord was a brand of American luxury automobile manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company of Connersville, Indiana, from 1929 to 1932 and again in 1936 and 1937.
Alvin M. Strauss was an Indiana architect and designer of many landmark buildings in Indiana and Ohio during the early twentieth century. He was born in Kendallville, Indiana, to German immigrants and later apprenticed under prominent architects in Chicago and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Strauss founded his own practice in Fort Wayne in 1918. Among his commissioned works are the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, the Clyde Theatre, the Lincoln Bank Tower, and the Embassy Theatre and Indiana Hotel in Fort Wayne as well as the Brokaw Theatre in Angola, Indiana.
Powel Crosley Jr. was an American inventor, industrialist, and entrepreneur. He was also a pioneer in radio broadcasting, and owner of the Cincinnati Reds major league baseball team. In addition, Crosley's companies manufactured Crosley automobiles and radios, and operated WLW radio station. Crosley, once dubbed "The Henry Ford of Radio," was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2010 and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2013.
Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc. was an American racing and luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is known for popularizing the straight-eight engine and four-wheel hydraulic brakes. A Duesenberg car was the first American car to win a Grand Prix race, winning the 1921 French Grand Prix. Duesenbergs won the Indianapolis 500 in 1922, 1924, 1925 and 1927. Transportation executive Errett Lobban Cord acquired the Duesenberg corporation in 1926. The company was sold and dissolved in 1937.
Errett Lobban "E. L." Cord was an American business executive. He was considered a leader in United States transport during the early and middle 20th century.
Auburn was a brand name of American automobiles produced from 1900 to 1937, most known for the Auburn Speedster models it produced, which were fast, good-looking and expensive. However, after the 1929 Wall Street Crash, and the economic downturn that ensued, Auburn's expensive automobiles, along with its also very expensive sister marques Duesenberg and Cord, saw inevitable sales downturns, and all vehicle business halted in 1937.
The National Automobile Museum is a museum in Reno, Nevada. Most of the vehicles displayed are from the collection of William F. Harrah. The museum opened on November 5, 1989.
The Studebaker National Museum is a museum in South Bend, Indiana, United States, that displays a variety of automobiles, wagons, carriages, and military vehicles related to the Studebaker Corporation and other aspects of American history.
The Premier Motor Manufacturing Company built the brass era and vintage Premier luxury automobile in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1903 to 1925.
McFarlan was a luxury American automobile manufactured in Connersville, Indiana, from 1909 to 1928, by the McFarlan Carriage Company and the McFarlan Motor Car Company.
Frederick Samuel Duesenberg was a German-born American automobile and engine designer, manufacturer and sportsman who was internationally known as a designer of racecars and racing engines. Duesenberg's engineering expertise influenced the development of the automobile, especially during the 1910s and 1920s. He is credited with introducing an eight-cylinder engine, also known as the Duesenberg Straight-8 engine, and four-wheel hydraulic brakes, a first for American cars, in addition to other mechanical innovations. Duesenberg was also patentholder of his designs for a four-wheel hydraulic brake, an early automatic transmission, and a cooling system, among others. Fred and his younger brother, August "Augie" Duesenberg, shared the patents, filed in 1913 and renewed in 1918, for their "walking beam" four-cylinder engine and the Duesenberg Straight 8.
August Samuel Duesenberg was a German-born American automobile and engine manufacturer who built American racing and racing engines that set speed records at Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1920; won the French Grand Prix in 1921; and won Indianapolis 500-mile races, as well as setting one-hour and 24-hour speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in 1935. He also shared with his older brother, Frederick S. "Fred" Duesenberg, patents filed in 1913 and renewed in 1918 for a four-cylinder engine design and the Duesenberg Straight 8.
America's Packard Museum is an automotive museum located in Dayton, Ohio.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is an automotive museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, which houses the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. It is intrinsically linked to the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400, but it also includes exhibits reflecting other forms of motorsports, passenger cars, and general automotive history. In 2006, it celebrated its 50th anniversary. The museum foundation possesses several former Indianapolis 500 winning cars, and pace cars, and they are regularly rotated onto the display floor exhibits.
The Duesenberg Model J is a luxury automobile made by Duesenberg from 1928 to 1937. Intended to compete with the most luxurious and powerful cars in the world, it was introduced in 1928, the year before the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. The Model J, available with a supercharger after 1932, was sold until Duesenberg Motors Company went bankrupt in 1937.
The Martin Auto Museum and Event Center is a privately owned non-profit automobile museum located in Glendale, Arizona. The museum and event center are open Tuesday-Sunday from 9am-5pm. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of collectible automobiles for educational purposes. Admission is a free for children 5 and under, children 6-12 admission is a $5.00 donation. General Admission is a $15 donation per person over the age of 12. Seniors 62 and over is a $12 donation. Some of the services provided by the museum include guided tours for such groups as local schoolchildren, veteran organizations and car clubs.
Media related to Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum at Wikimedia Commons