Pacific Northwest
Transportation Culture Foundation
Dedicated to Telling the Stories of Our Community Through the Vehicles Built, Used and Enjoyed in the PNW
Preserving Transportation History | Elevating Car Culture
The Pacific Northwest Transportation Culture Foundation is a Bellingham, Washington-based nonprofit with 501(c)(3) status pending, raising funds to create a Whatcom County transportation museum and experience center that tells our region’s story through the land, air, and sea vehicles built, used, and enjoyed here, past and present.
We envision a community-rooted destination that honors the full spectrum of transportation that has shaped life in the Pacific Northwest and beyond while providing an gathering space dedicated to local car culture.
The Driving Force \\\
Whatcom Car Museum
We’re building a space where transporation enthusiasts, artists, students, historians, and adventurers intersect. A modern campus, ideally on the shores of the Salish Sea, that is active, dynamic, and deeply Pacific Northwest in spirit. This is where exhibits roll, engines run, and the community gathers to share, learn, and create. Designed for locals, beloved by visitors from near and far, it will be a functional space that drives tourism.
TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM
The PNW is rich with transportation history; we strive to create a space that showcases it all. We forsee exhibits that illustrate how Coast Salish people used waterways, examine the impact of aero and marine industries, explore how railways transformed the region, and showcase the history of the automobile and examine how it is experienced in modern culture.
MEMBER VEHICLE STORAGE
Once built, sustaning members will have the opportunity to store and display their special interest vehicles on location. Designed for collectors and enthusiasts who want their vehicles stored with care and surrounded by admiration, this climate-controlled storage facility will include priority retrieval, invitations to special events, and access to an exclusive lounge within the museum.
COMMUNITY HUB & MAKERSPACE
Visit the community maker space to learn hands-on automotive restoration, creative trades and more. Open to artists, craftspeople, and aspiring builders, The Garage will host classes, and open-shop hours focused on welding, upholstery, fabrication, metalwork, and more. Part workshop, part cultural incubator,
The Garage connects our collection to the crafts and creativity that bring history to life. This makes the Museum a place not just to look, but to do.
An Enthusiast Destination & Events Center
Car culture is alive and well in Bellingham, Whatcom County, and throughou the Pacific Northwest, including the Vancouver, BC area. Home to numerous car clubs, collectors, and premier driving roads, PNWTCF aims to support our greater automotive community by constructing a home for car culture in Whatcom County. Beyond the structure, we will host car shows, guided drives, cruise ins, guest speakers, and other specialty events that are safe, inclusive and fun for vehicle enthusiasts, drawing visitors from near and far.
The facility will also provide a rentable new events space in Whatcom County for trade shows, festivals, private events and other public uses, ensuring sustainable revenue for the Museum.
