The Aero Museum in Port Townsend, Wash., is considered to have one of the best collections of rare antique and classic aircraft in the western United States. The 14,400-square-foot (1,338-m2) museum is located in the northeast corner of the Jefferson County International Airport and includes 31 airplanes, many from the 1920s and 1930s.
Work on the museum began in July 2005 and was completed in segments as funding was raised. The museum was finished in October 2008 and utilized a rigid frame system in a modular form, along with carrier beams and elevated welded purlin clips to form the unique radius roof detail that encloses the museum’s display area. The metal building and roof is from Varco Pruden Buildings, Memphis, Tenn. The SLR 2 panels were curved on-site with a radius/curving machine.
The single-slope roof area consists of two stories. The first floor includes a museum shop,maintenance area and bathrooms. The second floor includes a library area, as well as the main administrative areas. The entry structure was field fabricated by local Marine trade artisans. A 6-foot- (2-m-) wide catwalk wraps the majority of the museum floor area at an elevation of approximately 12 feet (4 m) above the finished floors and is suspended by the rigid frames.
Fairfax, Minn.-based Schweiss Bi-Fold Doors supplied two large doors that are incorporated into the “L” shape of the museum floor, providing a 90- degree access to the main museum floor for aircraft installation. Additionally, two tiers of vintage aircraft are suspended from point load-designated rafter areas in the main museum.
Azon Architecture, Poulsbo, Wash., and Washington Engineering, Bremerton, Wash., were the architects, and Grant Steel Buildings and Concrete Systems Inc., Port Townsend, was the builder.
Schweiss Bi-Fold Doors
Varco Pruden Buildings
