After years of planning, raising money and construction, the Historical Construction Equipment Association now has a new 20,000-square-foot museum building to display major pieces of its massive collection.
The HCEA plans to dedicate the new National Construction Equipment Museum building at 5 p.m. September 19 at its 39th annual International Convention and Old Equipment Exposition.
The museum in Bowling Green, Ohio, had outgrown its 7,000-square-foot indoor exhibit area, which the new building will replace. The museum now features a vaulted ceiling so vintage shovel and crane booms can be raised. It also has much more space for visitors to view the exhibits, and the floor is heated to make visiting more comfortable in cold weather, HCEA says.
The HCEA had been planning for a new building over the past decade and raised $2 million in donations to fund it. Ken Taylor, president of the Ohio Cat dealership and HCEA corporate member, led the fundraising, including a $500,000 matching funds drive.
Construction began in 2023, with major construction completed in Spring 2025. Clouse Construction, HCEA corporate member, was the prime contractor.
The next step is to raise money for interior improvements, including office and archives space and an educational center.
The National Construction Equipment Museum is located at 16623 Liberty Hi Road in Bowling Green, and its 80-acre site contains more than 220 pieces of machinery from the 19th and 20th centuries. The site will also be the location for HCEA’s international convention and expo September 18-20, where vintage equipment will be on display and demonstrated. For more details on the event, click here.
At all other times, the museum is open to the public by appointment only. To make arrangements, call the HCEA at 419-352-5616 or email [email protected].
