Football Hall of Fame Expansion Will Showcase Collection

 Content Originally Published by Sports Collectors Daily on Tuesday December 14, 2010.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is planning to show off more of its collection of football memorabilia and historic documents thanks to a $23.6 million expansion announced by the Hall’s Board of Trustees.  The Hall is also taking steps to preserve its collection  through a new climate control system.

The expansion and renovation project, the largest in the Hall of Fame’s history, is also aimed at providing major enhancements to the visitor experience and accommodating the growing number of Hall of Fame guests, especially during the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival.

The planning, design and construction will take nearly two years and has been dubbed the Future 50 Project because its completion, scheduled for 2013, will coincide with the Hall of Fame’s 50th Anniversary.

The Future 50 Project calls for the Pro Football Hall of Fame to expand from 83,000 square feet to 124,000 square feet.  A major part of the expansion is a new 10,800 square-foot Pro Football Research and Preservation Center.

Additionally, 37,000 square feet of existing gallery space will be renovated, including a new grand entrance, lobby and visitor orientation theater.  When combined with renovations of recent years, the Future 50 Project will provide visitors with a completely new experience.  Also, a very important behind-the-scenes improvement is a new state-of-the-art environmental control system that will be installed throughout the facility to ensure the long-term preservation of the Hall of Fame’s priceless collection.

“The growth and accomplishments of the Pro Football Hall of Fame during its first 50 years are widely acclaimed,” stated Pro Football Hall of Fame President/Executive Director, Steve Perry.  “It’s great that we are able to build upon the success of the past and initiate this major project to set the stage for success in the future,” he added.  “The completion of this project will assure the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s ability to properly preserve pro football’s historic artifacts and documents as well as solidify its position as America’s premier sports museum and showplace.”

Groundbreaking is scheduled for August 2011.