Oh, How We've Grown!

Years of constant growth
Years of constant growth
Years of constant growth
Years of constant growth
Years of constant growth
Years of constant growth
Years of constant growth

Growing, Growing, Growing, Keep Those Buildings Growing!

It is very gratifying to look back on our history and see how much we have grown, all with the support of our local community. Not bad for a non-profit museum that was not funded through your tax dollars~!

October, 1995

Hangar One under "re-construction."  The hangar had a previous life, in another location, as an almond packing house.

October, 1997

Taxiway added to connect to Paso Airport runway.  Foundation was poured for Thomson Hall, paved parking and Corippo way added.

October, 1999

Thomson Hall completed, Al Schade restoration hangar (r) added. Our collection of aircraft is starting to grow. Titan Missile landmark and F-104 were added in the front.

April 2001

Restoration hangar completed, concrete pad added in front of Hangar One. Visit of a B-17 and it was obvious we needed to grow the taxiway. Parking space for events filled up fast.

May 2007
Freedom Hall was added, as was the F-14. Freedom Hall is the main center for artifact restoration. Taxiway had been widened and tarmac in for restoration hangar added.
July 2007 July, 2007
After the arrival of the C-47 (right-center), it was apparent that more covered hangar space needed to be added.  Two smaller hangars were added alongside the taxiway (center/right).  A room to house an F-18 flight simulator was added to Freedom Hall and inbound traffic picked up. Click on the date for images from our grand opening celebrations.
April 2008 April, 2008
Sidewalks around the aircraft display area were added.  Taxiway was again widened to accommodate larger aircraft closer to the restoration hangar.   It's beginning to look like a real museum!
2008 May, 2009.  First Warbirds, Wings & Wheels event brought thousands of people throughout the day and parking space was at a premium! The Brooks Building had just been completed, housing a myriad of frame up restored military vehicles and missile display. Construction of the Woodland Automobile Display had just commenced.  Temporary parking needed to be added across Dry Creek Road and to the East of the Restoration Hangar to accommodate more visitors during main events.
2010 Woodland Added 2010

Woodland Auto Display is completed (for a while). Approximately 5,000 square feet of automotive and racing history to complement the jet aircraft. The addition was short-lived. Less than a year following completion, we were out of room and in late 2010, the slab/footing was laid for the first addition to the Woodland Automobile Display.

2011 Brooks Building added 2011

Following the tremendous success of the historical automotive and racing displays, an addition 2,500 square feet was added to the Woodland Building to complement the original display. In addition, an outdoor patio was added to allow for temporary display of some autos, and areas for outdoor events. A main entrance was also added along with the addition. 2011 also saw the pouring of concrete for an expansion of the Brooks Building. Scheduled for completion in early 2012. The fleet of static displayed aircraft increased, as did the number of historic military vehicles on display.

2012 Contruction on Hind Building Began 2012

The year started off with dust being dampened by the rains. Construction began on the Hind Pavilion, which will provide a "grand entrance" into the museum. The pavilion is located directly between Freedom Hall and the Brooks Building. The Pavilion will house a new entrance, larger gift shop, several offices, plus additional artifact display area. The Pavilion will open to both the Freedom Hall and the Brooks Building. The former gift shop and offices in Freedom Hall are being converted to a research library (currently housed upstairs in Thomson Hall.

May 2014 roofline changes May, 2014. Notice several roofline changes for some staged growth. The Hinds Building (center with red siding, arched roof) was finished and now houses the new gift shop and additional rest rooms. The Brooks Building, just to the above the gift shop, shows an extension towards the aircraft static display area. This houses the expanded munitions display and the new communications display area. Also, the Woodland Auto Display widened their second building to give additional floor space for classic racing autos.
2016 WWW9 May, 2016. In this picture taken during the 9th annual Warbirds Wings & Wheels event, you will notice signs of considerable growth. The Woodland Auto Display has expanded again (multiple connected buildings to the left/rear. The Red Ball Motor Pool was added which stands among the aircraft displays, and another smaller hangar was constructed to the right side of the tarmak. In November of 2016, the city of Paso Robles signed off on a new lease agreement for Estrella Warbirds Museum to expand even more, into an additional 9 acres! Stay tuned! We're not done yet!
2019 Warbirds Wings & Wheels May, 2019. As the museum has continued to expand in content and quality, so have the nuomber of visitors. With the help of an on-board curator, the tasks of accounting for and properly displaying items in a quality fashion has helped to draw visitors from throughout the world. During this annual Warbirds Wings & Wheels event, we had vehicles registered and present from 5 different western states, plus was televised on a nationally syndicated auto show, "My Classic Car."
2022 Warbirds Wings & Wheels May, 2022. Additional smaller hangars were added along the taxiway, aircraft were rearranged by time period. Yet another addition was added to the Woodland Auto Display with another currently in the permit stage. The added acerage which was granted to our lease was graded, packed and preparations are underway to begin the underground utilities for the new portion. In the meantime it has added to our visitor parking and display areas for the larger events. During the "down years" caused by the pandemic, work at the museum did not stop as we have now almost outbuilt the original 13 acres and look forward to additional facilities in our future."

It's hard to believe this all started with two men and two airplanes who had the idea of starting an aviation museum in Paso Robles!

We are looking for partners to join with us in the construction of new facilities and hangars for Estrella Warbird Museum and invite your participation.

Estrella Warbirds Museum
Celebrating 30 Years!

Proud to be home of the

Woodland Auto Display

HOURS:
Thur., Fri., Sat., Sun. &
Memorial Day, Veterans Day:
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

ADMISSION:
Pricing and Special Group Tours (Minimum of 10 or more): Full Information Here



805 238-9317

4251 Dry Creek Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446