Aviation museum in Edmonton close to buying its historic home

The Alberta Aviation Museum is working with the City of Edmonton to buy Hangar 14, a historic WWII airplane hangar.

An Edmonton museum is close to owning its longtime home, which is a part of Canadian war history.

Hangar 14, located on Kingsway near 117 Street and 114 Avenue on the grounds of the former Edmonton Municipal Airport, has been home to the Alberta Aviation Museum for more than three decades.

The 84,400-square-foot warehouse has been for sale since October 2023, after the City of Edmonton decided not to spend $41 million renovating it.

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The city received offers from three other potential buyers but decided to negotiate with the museum.

Hangar 14 is the only one of its kind remaining in Canada from the Second World War and is a protected provincial and municipal historic resource, meaning both the city and the province would have to approve any additions or alterations to it.

“It’s not a simple buy and sell like you would for an average everyday house,” Jean Lauzon, the executive director of the museum, told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday. “There’s a number of conditions that need to be met, and we’re in the process of figuring out those timelines and those dates.

“We’ll be able to sign off on the agreement soon.”

Lauzon said the museum hopes to complete the transaction by the end of August.