Addison recently bid farewell to one of its historic museums, as Cavanaugh Flight Museum officially closed last week.
The museum’s aircraft, displays, and more are being transferred to North Texas Regional Airport.
The museum announced in a Facebook post on January 2 that it had closed its doors after hosting its last weekend opening just days before.
Cavanaugh Flight Museum operated for 31 years, showcasing multiple vehicles from different eras and wars such as World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War.
A spokesperson for the town told WFAA that construction for new private jet hangers, office space, and parking to enhance the nearby Addison Aiport was set to begin after the museum’s lease ended this year.
“The Cavanaugh Flight Museum has been part of the fabric of Addison for more than 30 years and its historic planes have been featured in Addison’s Kaboom Town airshow for more than a decade,” Mary Rosenbleeth, town spokesperson, said in a statement to WFAA. “It is regrettable that Addison Airport is not large enough to be able to accommodate the world-class facility that a historically significant aviation collection of this caliber deserves.”
Rosenbleeth said that the town’s bond election in 2008 had not approved funds for a new museum; however, the town council did approve an extension to its lease to allow it to operate until this year to plan its next steps.
“A purpose-built aviation museum would require 10-15 acres and the Addison Airport does not have space to support a development of that size,” said Rosenbleeth, per WFAA.
Todd Pappas, who visited the museum as a child and also had brought his son there, lamented the closing of the museum’s doors.
“These things are getting rarer and rarer to see and appreciate,” said Pappas, according to WFAA. “If I had known, a little bit more lead time, [we] might have gotten out here a time or two just to visit. But you know it happened so quick, I was really taken aback by it.”
Supporters are invited to sign up to receive further updates from the museum as it starts its “new chapter.”
