With a heavy heart, World of Speed’s Board of Directors has announced the decision to close the museum permanently.
Deciding to close the museum was an extremely difficult decision. As with other Oregon establishments, World of Speed has been temporarily closed since March 16 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. As currently outlined, the museum would fall into Phase Two or Three of Oregon’s reopening plan, pushing our ability to open potentially into 2021. After much deliberation, the board has determined that they are unable to maintain the facility for such an extended closure period.
World of Speed opened five years ago and served as a place for enthusiasts from all walks of life to come together and share their mutual love of all things motorsports. In addition to being a world class motorsports museum, perhaps our greatest accomplishment was our work with local high schools in conjunction with Clackamas Community College to provide a space for accredited automotive classes. Here, our students had the opportunity to learn skills needed in the automotive industry while receiving dual credit for high school and college. We are proud of all the hard work that was put into that program and hope we were able to ignite a spark in each of the students as they explore ongoing education opportunities.
All of the museum’s assets and remaining funds will be distributed to 501(c)(3) museums and schools over the next three to eight months, as required by Oregon law, allowing World of Speed’s collection to live on for future generations to enjoy.
If you joined or renewed your membership within the last six months and would like a refund, please reach out to info@worldofspeed.org. Otherwise we will donate those funds with the remainder of the museum’s assets.
We are grateful to you for helping to make World of Speed such a success throughout the past five years.