The National Corvette Museum (NCM) in Kentucky has unveiled a captivating new exhibit, “Ground to Sky: The Sinkhole Reimagined,” commemorating the tenth anniversary of the dramatic 2014 sinkhole event. This special exhibit highlights the resilience and recovery efforts that have propelled the museum forward since the incident. The NCM is located in close proximity to the GM Bowling Green plant, the exclusive assembly plant for America’s sports car since 1981.
Kaye Wagner, Chair of the NCM Board of Directors, emphasized the exhibit’s significance in celebrating the museum’s growth and progress over the past decade.
“We are excited to open Ground to Sky: The Sinkhole Reimagined as a tribute to the growth and vision of the National Corvette Museum and to remind Corvette enthusiasts worldwide how far we’ve come since that fateful morning,” Wagner said. “This special exhibit allows us to reflect on the challenges we faced, and the tremendous progress we have achieved since then.”
The exhibit will be open for a limited time, from June 14th to September 15th, showcasing rare Vettes recovered from the 2014 sinkhole, such as the ZR-1 Spyder, a 1962 model, and the 1.5-millionth Vette produced, along with the 2009 ZR-1 Blue Devil and One Millionth Vette.
Visitors will also experience firsthand accounts of the sinkhole event and the subsequent recovery efforts as told by Museum staff, plus a detailed chronology of the museum’s history and a unique viewing platform to observe the 40-foot sinkhole, now integrated as part of the museum. Additionally, the boulder that initially impacted the Mallett Hammer Vette is on display outside the Stingray Grill.
“Guests will have the opportunity to explore a collection of Corvettes and artifacts that showcase the Museum’s journey during and following the catastrophe,” explained Director of Curatorial Affairs and Education, Robert Maxhimer. “From the restoration of damaged Corvettes to the ten years of progress that has touched every corner of the Museum, Ground to Sky: The Sinkhole Reimagined highlights our commitment to preserving Corvette history while embracing progress.”
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Comments
I was there a couple months before the cave in and felt the floor moving which had me concerned.
Did you happen to mention this to anyone, even off-handedly?
they prob would of thought he was nuts, so why bother.
I did not. I thought to ask someone if it was a wood floor structure, but that didn’t seem likely, so I dropped it. After the cave in however, and It appeared the slab had no rebar, I realized the gravity of the “bouncy” floor.
The absence of rebar would compromise the structural integrity of that floor which was tasked to carry considerable weight. It’s said that hindsight is 20-20. Thank you for your thoughtful answer.
We were there a year before the sink hole and back after the sink hole and saw the hole and the Great Eight displayed. It was sad to see the beautiful Corvettes so heavily damaged.
We can’t wait to see the new exhibit!
On such a relatively new building, were there ANY engineering assessments of the soil substrate where such a large, heavy structure was being planned?
Reminds me of the Millennial Tower in San Francisco. Now re-badged as the Mil-lean-ial Tower.
The original museum was constructed in 1994. Geotechnical exploration was not required at that time, and may not have detected any voids. Today we use resistivity tests for sub grade anomalies frequently found in karst topography. The original floor slab would not have been engineered with rebar to span openings below grade, as the sinkhole/cave had not revealed itself or “opened up” during construction.