1) Parking is in a garage in the same block but there is no provision for handicapped drop-off in front of the building.
2) Even with "timed" tickets the entry lines were over 10 minutes long - there were three active & two unused positions at the ticket counter.
3) Front doors were propped open. The cool air felt great entering the building, but as I know from years of operating airport terminal buildings the people INSIDE pay a price in heat rise. It was way too warm for me and I was wet with sweat after about 20 minutes. Floors are open from 4th to 1st, so the lost cooling affected the entire facility.
4) Way too much wasted space. I'm sure the architects got paid by the cubic foot, and the taxpayers here were flimflammed into biting off a big chunk of the bill.
5) No seats anywhere for old folks to sit down along the way.
6) Interesting displays and lots of driver-related stuff. Not enough of the classic '50's, '60's, '70's stuff in my opinion.
7) There are lots of interactive displays inside, and it is a great place for kids to begin to understand the history of the sport, or what it used to be.
8) As for HOF notables I saw nothing on either of the Rathman brothers. Dick (born Jim) was a friend and he had a very high finishing average. Not a photo or a word of either of them. Famous in the '50's.
9) Some neat cars on display, but not enough in my opinion.
10) They forced all who entered to exit through the gift shop. Typical numbnut practice.
11) Signage in and from the parking garage was weak and ineffective. We wandered around the stair/elevator towers for 10 minutes getting to the exit door leading to the HOF. No "HOF" markings for exits, (inside elevator) levels, or directions on walls.
12) Garage exits were not staffed by humans. Machine "demanded" a credit card to get out - no cash options. Cost $4.00 for about an hour and 10 minutes, much of which was spent trying to get to/from the front door and standing in line.
As you can see, Bill doesn’t exactly give it a rave review. Problems for handicapped and disabled folks, parking problems, poor signage, no seats, lack of race cars on display, and a lack of displays from the early years of the sport. The only pluses from Bill were the interactive displays and that the cars on display were pretty good.
I’ve had some questions in the past about the displays, in particular about how much actual truth would be put out there for the fans. Such as how Bill France Sr. interfered with the career of Wendell Scott and how he kept Wendell from getting
sponsors and factory support. How other drivers,
namely Ned Jarrett and Fred Lorenzen, went out
on a limb to help Wendell out. Or Tim Richmond.
Will there be any sort of admission as to how
Bill France Jr. went out of his way to end Tim’s
career? This is all a part of the history of the
sport even if it shows the ugly side of it and the
France family. It needs to be out there for fans to
see. Unfortunately, Bill wasn’t able to check the
displays out on Wendell or Tim for accuracy or
the truth. However, in a follow-up e-mail, Bill said
the France family displays in the HOF “made
them all but deified”.
Be prepared to have your patience, wallet, and
credit card tested if you plan to visit the HOF. Be aware of the shortcomings Bill pointed out and try to plan or work around them if you go to the HOF. I’ll be very curious to see just what other things fans have to say once they go there.
Gotta comment, question or want to say hey there...email Mike here
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