AIRWAYS HISTORY Airline Museums and Archives in the USA
BOEING ( ST . LOUIS , MISSOURI ) JAMES S . MCDONNELL PROLOGUE ROOM 9000 Airport Road Berkeley , MO 63134
WHAT ARE YOUR HOLDINGS ? DO YOU OPERATE A MUSEUM ? DO YOU MAINTAIN AN ARCHIVE ? The James S . McDonnell Prologue Room is an air and space museum located inside Building 100 of The Boeing Company ’ s St . Louis campus , adjacent to St . Louis Lambert International Airport . The exhibit chronicles more than a century of milestones , telling the story of Boeing and its heritage companies through hundreds of scale models , artwork , and other artifacts .
Sales and Services Otto Becker . The group secured funding by selling the inscribed bricks that make up the floor of the hangar to this day .
The CR Smith Museum completed a significant remodel in the summer of 2018 . In its new configuration , the museum explains the inner workings of airline operations and showcases the people who run American Airlines every day . Brand-new interactive exhibits entice participation by all age groups . The museum features hundreds of historical artifacts , photographs , full-scale aircraft engines and the rare 1940 Douglas DC-3 airliner that is accessible to visitors . In addition , the museum ’ s 4K digital theater features Why I Fly , a short film that shares the inspirational stories of some of American Airlines team members .
ARE YOU OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ? WHAT ARE YOUR HOURS ? We are open to the public :
Thursdays : 10:00 to 14:00 . Fridays and Saturdays : 10:00 to 16:00 .
ARE YOUR RESOURCES AVAILABLE BY REQUEST OVER THE INTERNET ? Tickets may be purchased online : www . crsmithmuseum . org
The Museum Store is also available online 24 / 7 : https :// giftshop-crsmithmuseum . myshopify . com /
ARE YOU OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ? WHAT ARE YOUR HOURS ? IS ACCESS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY ? The Prologue Room is open to the public only during the summer months — June , July , and August — from 09:00 to 16:00 , Monday to Friday . Reservations are not required for self-guided tours , and walk-ins are welcome .
Guided tours are available for organized groups of 10 or more throughout the year , on Mondays and Tuesdays . Tours take about one hour and are free of charge . Reservations are required and can be made by calling ( 314 ) 232-6896 or emailing HistoricalServices @ Boeing . com .
ARE YOUR RESOURCES AVAILABLE BY REQUEST OVER THE INTERNET ? Additional information on the Prologue Room can be obtained by visiting : www . boeing . com / prologueroom .
BOEING CORPORATE ARCHIVES : AUBURN , WASHINGTON , AND ST . LOUIS , MISSOURI
In addition to the Prologue Room , Boeing maintains a corporate archive , but public access is very limited . The Boeing collection — which includes the archives of its heritage companies — is spread across two sites : Auburn , Washington , and St . Louis , Missouri . www . airwaysmag . com AIRWAYS MAGAZINE JUNE 2024 67