Rolls-Royce Exhibit to Reopen

Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust Allison Branch volunteer and retiree Betsy Spencer shows visitors an AE 3007 jet engine on display at the new

The Allison Branch of the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust will Tuesday reopen its aerospace and power systems exhibit. The James A. Allison Exhibition Center had been closed for more than a year so the organization could move it from a previous location on the southwest side of Indianapolis to the Rolls-Royce Meridian Center downtown.

The move, which was announced in December 2015, was necessary due to Rolls-Royce’s previously-announced $600 million investment to revitalize its Indianapolis manufacturing centers. The Heritage Trust moved the exhibit so its previous location could be used for advanced manufacturing operations.

"The Heritage Trust’s mission is to protect and preserve our legacy while demonstrating the innovation that has progressed throughout the decades at Rolls-Royce and our preceding company, Allison Gas Turbines in Indianapolis," said Phil Burkholder, president of defense aerospace at Rolls-Royce North America. "This new downtown location gives us an opportunity to share our history in new and exciting ways with Rolls-Royce employees, retirees, customers and the public."

The exhibit features a collection of jet engines and other equipment used in aircraft both past and present. It also includes interactive video modules with STEM content detailing advances in aerospace engineering.

Burkholder says the exhibit will remain free and open to the general public. The center will reopen Tuesday morning at 10:00.