Roswell UFO Museum to close? No let's build!!

New Site of Roswell UFO Museum 
Photo Courtesy of Larry Rimbert

      My last article was about the possibility of the UFO Museum closing!  Look again!  Let's take a look at what the Roswell UFO Museum has planned for its next move!  It isn't anything new that the Museum is moving.  The plan has been on the table for years and the architect (who is extremely slow to return calls) was awarded the contact in 2006. 
 

       In a recent telephone interview with the architectual firm of Ahearn Schopfer, Kevin Schopfer said he was trying to avoid the look of a spaceship in the design of the building.  Kevin  got the idea to help with the design after seeing a television program on the museum's plans to expand..  I guess something good does come out of watching television.  He describes the design as more of an alien object such as a  "celestial navigation chart" rather than an alien spaceship.   
 

Out with the old Roswell UFO Museum!
Courtesy of Larry Rimbert
 

The UFO Museum website, however, states  that the design is that of a "found alien object of unknown origin, which has been placed in a research drawer awaiting examination", Well, who do we believe in this descrepancy?  So going a little further, what is the meaning of the website's next sentence, i.e.,  "The object, like the museum subject matter cannot be contained and thus pushes out from it's containment."?   Does this mean that the object, which is awaiting examination, has escaped it's drawer and we will never really get to see it?  This is an area which definitely needs more investigation.  No matter, the end result  will be a unique building design which will stand as a international tribute to ufology!

In with the New!  Proposed NEW UFO Museum.  Photo
Courtesy of Roswell UFO Museum Website 

     Over the past few years, the entry fee to the museum was increased to help offset the cost of the new museum and now things are coming to a head.    The new building will be built on a full city block and will be about  eight blocks from the old museum and across the street from a famous hamburger restaurant.  I won't mention the name of the hamburger stand because the "clowns" there would not let me take a picture of the building when I was last there!  At a final cost of  over $25 million dollars, the construction will take place in two phases.  Ground breaking on the first phase should take place no later than one year from now, October 2010. A second discrepancy, Julie mentioned to the Roswell Daily Record that the new building will be about 30,000 square feet,  but the website states the two story building will be a total of  35,000 square feet.. Just remember these are construction plans, and plans are always subject to change.   
 

Artists Rendition of the new floor plan!
Courtesy of Roswell UFO Museum of website.

The main floor  promises to house new exhibit galleries, a multi-function facility, offices and a restaurant.  The focus of the first floor of the new museum is going to be the Roswell Event and a historical perspective of  the UFO.  The second floor is going to focus on sightings and abductions!  Sounds exciting!!  The sightings area  will consist of urban, rural, celestial and oceanic sightings!  Perhaps the new museum will remind one of the Air and Space Museum as it plans to have large scale UFO vehicles suspended from the ceilings and a full scale interpretive replica of the actual Roswell Space Craft.     The new museum will have large graphic stations and plasma imaging to illustrate appropriate areas of interest throughout both floors   Get this though!  Phase two includes a 24 guestroom hotel!  Wild isn't it?  Of course, in this futuristic building there will be plenty of parking with lots of tour bus and RV parking!
 

Artist rendition of interior.  Courtesy of Roswell UFO Museum website

I am wondering, with the museum aiming for a grand opening in July 2011  and such a great alien design, do you think maybe a group of aliens are sitting on the design panel?  I can't wait for July 2011 and plan to be there!

© 2009 by Larry Rimbert  All rights reserved
NOTE: Permission is granted to include short extracts of this article on websites and email lists with a link to this original article.. This article is copyrighted and should not be added in its entirety or on other websites or email lists without author's express written permission.