New goals for Kansas City

[TheLastGentleman]

5. WW1 Museum to be handed over to the Smithsonian and US NPS. Groups who have the funds to better maintain and expand the museum.

Yes! It's amazing what they did with the gateway arch in STL. That level of ambition and design is something the WWI Museum is desperately in need of.

Before


After

[langosta]

5. WW1 Museum to be handed over to the Smithsonian and US NPS. Groups who have the funds to better maintain and expand the museum.

Yes! It's amazing what they did with the gateway arch in STL. That level of ambition and design is something the WWI Museum is desperately in need of.

Before


After

It’s the only way I see the WW1 Museum teaching it’s full potential. I just doubt it would be easy to get National Parks or Smithsonian to take it over.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

5. WW1 Museum to be handed over to the Smithsonian and US NPS. Groups who have the funds to better maintain and expand the museum.

Yes! It's amazing what they did with the gateway arch in STL. That level of ambition and design is something the WWI Museum is desperately in need of.

Before


After

What could the WWI museum do to get on that level? is it just a landscaping issue or is it all in all a management/funding issue with the current ownership?

[TheLastGentleman]

What could the WWI museum do to get on that level? is it just a landscaping issue or is it all in all a management/funding issue with the current ownership?

It's a number of issues, but the root of all of them is indeed funding. The whole thing is managed by a non-profit, like Union Station is, as opposed to the federal government. Where Union Station was able to dig itself out of a financial hole by changing management and renting out large portions of the building for offices and events, the WWI Museum can only really rely on ticket sales and donations. This is a problem, as seen by the wear and tear the museum's grounds and structure have suffered.

None of this is to knock the museum itself. It's fantastic, and serves as one of the clearest and most powerful learning experiences you can find anywhere about this exceedingly complex war. The issue is that it doesn't seem anywhere close to pushing itself far beyond where it started in 2006, and that's a massive shame.

[kcjak]

They did a great job with the arch, but look how many decades passed without and decent investment. Joining the national park service may solve some problems, but exacerbate others. And then who knows if the next election will bring a president and/or congress that refuses to spend any money on the parks.

[FangKC]

Or squanders federal park money on an ego-driven faux military parade.