The Columbia River Maritime Museum (CRMM) offers visitors a one-of-a-kind opportunity to see an extensive collection of seafaring vessels, maritime artifacts, and fine art come to life. The new Warnock Building, home of Mariners Hall, will offer 24,500 square feet of interactive exhibits with many opportunities for hands-on STEAM experiences, large-scale displays, and other engaging programs aimed at educating the museum’s more than 100,000 annual visitors.

The building’s dramatic curved timber form and spacious 40’ high atrium will offer views of 19 vessels. The selection of mass Oregon Douglas Fir laminated in Eugene and sent to British Columbia for the exhibit hall honors the maritime spirit that defines Astoria and the museum – embodying the boats it houses, the river it faces, and the people who shaped its history.

The project has been coordinated by a local general contractor with 85% local subcontractors. Charting a course together, architects Opsis Engineering and StructureCraft used advanced parametric tools to explore structural alternatives, improve material efficiency, and simplify the number of unique wood elements for a ‘less mass timber’ approach that maximizes each element to create the dramatic sweeping structure. The Museum is also working with the Energy Trust of Oregon to be one of their featured case studies.

Bruce Jones, CRMM executive director, said, “Our architect and general contractor addressed sustainability through...mass timber and low embodied carbon concrete flooring to reduce carbon footprint; macroclimate design analysis to inform windows, lighting, insulation and mechanicals to reduce energy consumption.”  

The addition will feature a first-order Fresnel lighthouse lens from the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse, which is one of the largest first-order lenses made with 16 panels. It will also have a suspended U.S. Coast Guard HH52A helicopter, an amphibious helicopter used to rescue shipwreck survivors with a basket hoist. There will also be a Boathouse which has floating docks at two levels for visitors to explore boats up close. The Merrimac, a 1938 classic wooden yacht built by the Astoria Marine Construction Company, and Duke, a vessel built in 1902 by Astoria’s Wilson brothers, will also be on display. Visitors can step aboard the Duke and see firsthand the often overlooked business of commercial fishing, and at the Merrimac, guests can use the custom-built elevated deck surrounding it to view it at deck level and peer into the cabin to see its elegant craftsmanship.

The maritime world holds endless possibilities for compelling storytelling. The Museum aims to offer meaningful and impactful ways to see artifacts and dive into outstanding educational and cultural experiences, inviting people of all ages and backgrounds to connect to history and their connection to the sea and rivers.

The new Warnock Building opens November 20, so if you’re looking for a unique experience this autumn, come and explore the Columbia River Maritime Museum. A short drive from Portland, Astoria beckons guests to take in the breathtaking coastline, peruse the quaint shops, feast on some of the Northwest’s most delicious fare, and learn about some of the Columbia River’s amazing history and the stories that make it distinct. Learn more and plan your trip today at www.crmm.org.