About the Museum

 

America’s Packard Museum is the world’s only restored Packard Dealership operating as a museum, and only full-time museum dedicated exclusively to the Packard Motor Car Company, its products and philosophies.

The Citizens Motorcar Company

The Packard Motor Car Company comes to life again in America’s Packard Museum. The museum was founded by Dayton attorney and long time car collector Bob Signom. Located in the original Packard dealership building which was built in 1917, the museum has officially taken the name of the original dealership – The Citizens Motorcar Company, but has become known as “America’s Packard Museum”.

The January 1998 edition of Car Collector magazine named the museum as one of the “Top Ten” museums in the United States. In 2004, the Society of Automotive HIstorians conferred the prestigious James J. Bradley Award upon the museum for it’s exemplary efforts in preserving motor vehicle resource materials. Only six other U. S. museums have received the Bradley Award.

Signom brought The Citizens Motorcar Company “back to life” as the only restored Packard dealership operating as a museum. The museum features over 50 automobiles on display in the restored Art Deco showroom, service department and pavillion. In addition, significant artifacts from the Packard Motor Car Company are on display. The museum has become a popular destination for travelers and residents alike. In 1993 the museum was acknowledged by the Montgomery County Historical Society with it’s Annual Award for restoration of a commercial building. The museum’s neighborhood has been named Dayton’s Motorcar District.

In 1993, Packard Automobile Classics (The Packard Club) relocated it’sheadquarters from Oakland, California to the Dayton Museum.In June 1996, the Wright Brothers Region of PAC, in Dayton, hosted the Packard National Meet, with multiple events at the museum, which attracted more than 400 Packard enthusiasts from across the US, Canada, Australia, Switzerland and the UK.

The PAC office is today located in Columbus, Ohio. America’s Packard Museum is an Affiliate Orginazation of The Packard Club.

A Section 501 (c) (3) organization under the Internal Revenue Code whose mission is to educate present and future generations about the Packard Motor Car Company, it’s products and philosophies.