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New museum in Tacoma WA -Ground breaking

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  • New museum in Tacoma WA -Ground breaking

    Dream Comes True For Motorcycle Enthusiasts
    September 25, 2002
    By Keith Eldridge

    Video
    The building of the Pioneer Motorcycle Museum got under way on Tacoma's waterfront; it's just one of a string of museums going up along Museum Row.
    Watch Video- while it's still posted KOMO4

    **I took a few screen shots from the video and attached the picture -at bottom. If your comin in low bandwidth. Much easyier.

    architects drawing

    TACOMA - The dream of one motorcycle buff is coming true.

    The Pioneer Motorcycle Museum is got a kick-start Wednesday on the Tacoma waterfront. It's the newest addition to Tacoma's growing Museum Row.

    Motorcyclists are motoring in from all over the region, here to see if what they heard was true -- a museum showcasing their beloved motorized two-wheelers.

    It's a dream come true for motorcycle collector and business owner Marty Moloney.

    "The whole project, the building, what we're going to bring to the waterway, to the city of Tacoma and the history of motorcycling from the beginning to the present," Moloney said.

    The 51,000-square foot building includes the museum, repair shop, and conference center.

    Many of the enthusiasts brought their own vintage bikes to this ground breaking. Pete Gagan is riding his 1904 English built Rex.

    Gagan is the president of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America.

    "I go up and down I-5 quite bit and probably been by Tacoma a hundred times and I've never set foot in downtown Tacoma," he said. "Now 10,000 of us have a reason to come here."

    They're hoping a lot more than just motorcycle buffs will come here. It's right on Tacoma's waterfront, with a view back toward the city.

    The motorcycle museum is just the latest in Tacoma's string of new museums. There's the glass museum, the art museum, the state historical museum and soon to be a car museum.

    Tacoma hopes there'll be a museum magnetic pull for visitors.

    "This adds just one more piece to Tacoma's growth and development and what I call the renaissance of our city," said Tacoma mayor Bill Baarsma.

    Some 100 years of motorcycling will be on display here. The people here say it's not just the machine -- it's the way of life. A motorcycle represents freedom.

    "It's just the peacefulness, the serenity of just riding," Moloney said.

    There are a lot private collections of bikes, but this is only motorcycle museum of this magnitude on the West Coast outside of Los Angeles.

    The Museum is being built totally with private money, and it's hoped it'll roar to life in about a year.
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