Jeep Museum Allegedly Coming to Ohio in 2022

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

After years of trying, an urban revitalization group attempting to get Toledo, Ohio, back on track has gotten an affirmative nod from Fiat Chrysler to build an automotive museum devoted entirely to the Jeep brand. The 56,000 square-foot facility will be called “The Jeep Experience” and play host to numerous interactive exhibits.

Modeled after the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee and the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, the site has not yet been officially announced. Final negotiations are necessary before a contract is put in play. However, The Toledo Blade recently received confirmation from ProMedica President and CEO Randy Oostra, a member of the revitalization group, that there shouldn’t be anything standing in the way of the museum opening in 2022.

“When you think about all the opportunities whether it’s the history, what’s happened in automotive, World War II, they use Jeeps in Jurassic Park, and then you look at engineering and design and production and art, you begin to think about it from a whole variety of opportunities,” Oostra told The Blade. “Part of our story to the FCA people has been what’s happened to Toledo, the renaissance of Toledo, part of that has been Jeep Fest. So being able to tell the Toledo story and all of the positive things.”

The chairman of Toledo’s Jeep Fest, Jerry Huber, said the event team has been working closely with the people building the museum. Right now, Jeep Fest brings in about 100,000 people every summer. “My long-term vision is that when the museum is up and running, that Jeep Fest just becomes a special weekend activity and draws additional people to the area for that weekend, but will become a part of the Jeep Experience,” he said.

While FCA will also be involved, Oostra said the company has only discussed making a financial commitment. Nothing official has been decided outside of the automaker saying it planned to participate throughout the museum’s development. Robin Whitney, ProMedica’s chief strategic planner for business development and real estate, said the museum would create 25 jobs while pulling in an estimated $6 million in annual revenue.

From The Blade:

Ms. Whitney said the museum, which will have live attractions such as an off-road trail where Jeeps can be driven, will have some sort of food service, whether it’s basic food services or a Jeep-themed restaurant. The group is also discussing a hotel adjacent to the museum.

“We think nationally there will be quite a pull for people to come to the area for this,” she said.

Ms. Whitney said there will likely be 18 months of fund-raising associated with the project before the design phase kicks off.

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz believes the museum has the potential to become an iconic landmark of the city and will “be right up there” with The Toledo Museum of Art, the Toledo Zoo, Fifth Third Field, and the Huntington Center.

“It’ll be on that list of iconic institutions in our community that draw visitors into Toledo,” he said.

The group anticipates about 250,000 visitors per year and believes it will attract international tourism. Considering the volume of automotive history located in Southeast Michigan, that might be true. Car-obsessed visitors could easily land in Detroit, spending a day at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation before moving on to the area’s smaller historic sites (The Ypsilanti Heritage Museum is nice if you like defunct car brands).

With Toledo being roughly an hour’s drive from Metro Detroit, auto nerds could easily add The Jeep Experience to their weekend itinerary while stopping to do some light antiquing along the way. Assuming the facility actually gets built and is ready to go in 2022, that’s this author’s plan.

[Image: Mattia Mazzucchelli/Shutterstock]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Phxmotor Phxmotor on Dec 20, 2019

    People sometimes forget what a powerhouse Toledo is in the history of the American auto industry. For years and years and years The USA’s second biggest selling car behind the Midel T was the Willy’s Overland. Made in Toledo. Toledo was the baby brother to Detroit. Look at a map. It all makes sense. Willy’s was the daddy to Jeep. Jeep is still in Toledo. It all makes sense.

  • Lie2me Lie2me on Dec 20, 2019

    I think it's a great idea, Jeep is a big and unique part of America's automotive history and deserves this kind of recognition. I know, I know it's history is now part French and Italian, but being an American who is also part French and Italian I can identify :)

  • MaintenanceCosts People who don't use the parking brake when they walk away from the car deserve to have the car roll into a river.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I’m sure they are good vehicles but you can’t base that on who is buying them. Land Rovers, Bentley’ are bought by Robin Leaches’s “The Rich and Famous” but they have terrible reliability.
  • SCE to AUX The fix sounds like a bandaid. Kia's not going to address the defective shaft assemblies because it's hard and expensive - not cool.
  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
  • Analoggrotto NoooooooO!
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