PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — From the outside, it may look like a former school in Pontiac, but the building isn't done helping people get an education.
That’s because dedicated volunteers are in the process of transforming 250 West Pike Street into the Pontiac Transportation Museum, a place aimed at celebrating the rich history of the city’s impact on the auto industry.
"It's trucks, it's cars, it's motorized bicycles, it's wartime conversion and so forth, anything on wheels. Pontiac just has this tremendous legacy that inspired us all to to jump into doing this," said Terry Connolly.
Connolly is a passionate volunteer, and board member for the Pontiac Transportation Museum nonprofit.
"Everybody kind of knows that the Pontiac brand grew up in Pontiac. So did the GMC brand, actually. But it turns out when we did the study, there's about 44 companies that built and engineered vehicles in Pontiac, motorized vehicles in Pontiac," said Connolly.
For Mark Thomas, who gifted the school to the Pontiac Transportation Museum, this place is special to him.
"Not to know your history is like being a leaf that does not know it's part of a tree. And so hopefully ... all those people out there are going to be know where they're from a little bit better, especially if they're from Pontiac," said Thomas.
Inside the museum, you’ll find rarities, and one-of-a-kind rides.
"We have two Olympian brand cars, [you] probably never heard of Olympian brand, but they were the only two Olympians in the world. They were built here in Pontiac. The Rapid truck itself, by the way, is one of four in the world. So a lot of very unique stuff," he said.
And there’s also a 2010 Pontiac G6 sedan — the very last Pontiac to roll off the line.
"It's kind of neat for us that when you roll back the carpeting in the trunk and in the interior compartment, so forth. All the workers signed that car because they were all kind of emotionally affected by it being the last Pontiac, I think," said Connolly.
The stories here are endless, revved back to life by every vehicle in this place, and the volunteers who have put in years of work.
"It probably approaches 10,000 hours of volunteer time over that timeframe," he said.
And now good news — a soft opening on Dream Cruise day with more opening times to follow.
"We'll probably continue that soft opening with weekend openings and so forth. But pending the money, we could actually execute the rest of the project inside of about two years, but it really depends funding for the rest of the building," he said.
One major focus here will be STEM outreach, and a possible restoration arm down the road to teach people more about vehicles and Pontiac’s rich history in the industry.
"I frankly think it's a really long-term runway. I would like to ensure that my grandkids are coming to this museum and see it as a as a reflection of this legacy. Pontiac has the tremendous history," said Connolly.
To learn more about the PTM and to donate, click here.
