Alameda Naval Air Museum Reopens, Now Needs a Longer Lease

The Alameda Naval Air Museum, the volunteer-run museum inside the old Air Terminal building at Alameda Point, is open again after a six-month closure, and it's now asking the city for a long-term lease so it can start applying for grants and bigger donations.

• Where: 2151 Ferry Point, Building 77, Alameda Point, near the former Seaplane Lagoon
• Hours: Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays noon to 4 p.m.
• What changed: The museum reopened after a six-month closure, following a May 23 fundraiser
• Who runs it: An all-volunteer nonprofit with no paid staff and no phone line
• What's next: The museum is seeking a long-term lease from the City of Alameda to qualify for grants

Why did the Naval Air Museum close?

The museum, which is entirely volunteer-run and relies on admissions and donations to cover its bills, had to shut its doors for six months before reopening this year. A May 23 fundraiser at the museum's home in the old Air Terminal, packed with classic cars and supporters, raised enough money and enough attention to get the doors back open.

What does the museum need now?

A long-term lease. The museum says on its website that it needs a longer-term agreement with the City of Alameda before it can apply for grants, larger donations, and other funding that could put it on stable footing instead of scraping by month to month. Without a longer lease, the museum says its options for outside funding stay limited.

What's inside, and how do you visit?

The museum preserves the history of Naval Air Station Alameda, which operated from 1940 to 1997, with exhibits on the aircraft, ships, and people who served there. It's easy to spot: look for the red and white checkered water tower on top of the old Air Terminal building, just past the A-7 Corsair monument as you drive in from Main Street and Appezzato Parkway. There's no phone line because of old base wiring, so the museum takes questions and tour requests only by email.

What this means for Alameda

Alameda Point has lost pieces of its Navy-era history to demolition and redevelopment over the years, so a museum keeping that history open to the public, for free or the price of a donation, is worth knowing about before it's gone. The museum is open weekends now, and whether it gets a long-term lease will likely decide whether it's still open in a few years.

Learn more or plan a visit through the Alameda Naval Air Museum's visitor information page. For more on what's happening around Alameda's community institutions, see our community coverage.