FROM:   
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

CONTACT:    
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Luke Sacks (646) 381-5282 / lsacks@intrepidmuseum.org

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NEW YORK, NY (January 7, 2016) – The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum achieved its highest attendance numbers to date in 2015, welcoming 1,064,522 guests during the calendar year. This marks the most visitors in a single year since the Museum opened 33 years ago. .

“We are thrilled that the Intrepid Museum once again welcomed more than one million visitors, and this year surpassed all previous Museum records,” said Susan Marenoff-Zausner, president of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. “Our expanding reach reflects the institution’s impact on domestic and international audiences, from our neighbors here in New York City who return again and again to take advantage of our public programs and special events, to the visiting guests who make the Intrepid Museum a must-see tourist destination. We are proud to serve aboard this great ship by educating and inspiring all who walk through our doors.”

In 2015, the Intrepid Museum opened a new, state-of-the-art Welcome Center, the first stop for Museum visitors. The Welcome Center had been closed since 2012, when the building was flooded by Hurricane Sandy. After undergoing numerous necessary repairs, the Welcome Center was redesigned to streamline guest entry and exit. It features two bright, spacious levels, brand-new registration counters and digital signage, and a revamped gift shop.

The Museum also welcomed two key vendor partnerships to provide best-in-class food and guest services. Event Network, the Museum’s new retail partner, developed a wide range of unique, customized items and product collections for the gift shop that celebrate the ship and its extraordinary collections. Legends Hospitality joined as the Museum’s food service provider and currently operates the Mess Deck Café on the mess deck of the ship and plans to open a café on the second floor of the Welcome Center.
The Intrepid Museum opened two new exhibitions in 2015. On the Line: Intrepid and the Vietnam War is a major temporary exhibition exploring the events and impact of the Vietnam War through the lens of Intrepid’s history. The exhibition offers a site-specific immersion into an important chapter of American history through oral histories, unique artifacts, photographs and film clips—many of which are on display for the first time. Throughout the duration of the exhibition, all U.S. military and veterans receive free admission to the Intrepid Museum, generously provided by Bank of America. City at Sea: USS Intrepid is a new permanent exhibition that explores life and work on board an aircraft carrier and gives visitors a deeper understanding of four major areas on board the ship: the anchor chain room, officer berthing, the combat information center and the mess deck.
The Museum also extended its temporary exhibition HUBBLE@25, which commemorates the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. Originally scheduled to end mid-2015, the popular exhibition is open through January 10, 2016.
The Museum increased the number of programs for K-12 school groups by over 24 percent in 2015, which allowed nearly 24,000 students and teachers to engage with the Museum’s unique learning resources. The Museum also increased its number of access programs by more than 24 percent, offering more free educational experiences for individuals with cognitive, emotional, sensory and physical disabilities. Other initiatives, including the Museum’s outreach programs, family programs, after-school programs, teacher professional development, youth leadership programs and tours, grew in scope and number as well, resulting in significantly increased public engagement.