JEWIS H NEWS

CAPTURING
THE CORVETTE

W

hen architect Ken-
neth Neumann, of
Neumann Smith
& Associates in
Southfield, was
making the final presentation to
be chosen as the architect of the
National Corvette Museum, he
slipped a little humor into his me-
dia demonstration. He showed
a slide of a woman on a 1960 red
Corvette and said, "This is a pho-
to of my first wife and first car.
Unfortunately, I sold the car, but
I still have the wife."
There was no doubt Mr. Neu-
mann and his partner, Joel
Smith, faced fierce competition
to design the largest and most

comprehensive museum ever
dedicated to a single automotive
nameplate. They were compet-
ing with national architectural
firms across the country that
had designed museums, aquari-
ums and sports hall of fame cen-
ters.
"We thought we had a tough
way to go. Together we deter-
mined we should try a joint ven-
ture with a display firm that does
auto displays and play up our De-
troit connection," said Mr. Neu-
mann.
The Detroit connection was
easy for Ken Neumann and Joel
Smith, both Detroit residents.
Their architectural firm, which

Architects
Neumann Smith
& Associates
preserve the

legacy of Corvette

with their design
of the National
Corvette Museum.

CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ

SECTION EDITOR

designs residential and commer-
cial properties including syna-
gogues, had already completed a
number of office facilities for
General Motors at the GM Tech
Center. They also submitted
plans for new Buick and Cadil-
lac headquarters that were nev-
er built.
Together with Exhibit Works
of Livonia, they capitalized on
their team strength. "We were
the only Detroit team. We said
we could make good buildings,
and we were the only people who
knew how to display cars," ex-
plained Mr. Neumann.
According to Dan Gale, presi-
dent of the National Corvette

Foundation, "The presentation
given by Neumann Smith was
exceptional, and it was clear that
if we took Neumann Smith we'd
get Exhibit Works, too. That part-
nership was a crucial factor in
our decision."

M

otorists on Interstate
65 near Bowling
Green, Kentucky, can't
help notice the 11-sto-
ry red spire rising out of a yellow
cone, resembling a tail light of a
Corvette. If they exit the ex-
pressway, like 500,000 are ex-
pected to do annually, they will
see the National Corvette Muse-
um on a 33-acre site.