The Durham Museum

As a VENUE: Host your event…

Art Deco architecture, historic grandeur and decades of memories are just a few aspects that set The Durham Museum apart from other Omaha venues. From an elegant wedding to a casual networking reception, The Durham has all the “wow” you need to create a memorable event for your guests.

Housed in Omaha’s Union Station, the museum offers a magnificent atmosphere featuring 65-foot ceilings, original chandeliers and beautiful restoration throughout the building. Located at the south end of the historic Old Market, The Durham is within walking distance from downtown hotels and restaurants. In addition, you may choose from a wide variety of preferred caterers and vendors which provides flexibility for you in selection and pricing.

The Durham Museum offers a variety of rental options for private or corporate functions and can accommodate groups of all sizes. The Durham Museum does not allow fundraising events in any of their facilities.

• • West End Ceremony: The museum’s West End is an intimate spot for a wedding ceremony of up to 175 guests. This space is only available as an add-on rental to the Great Hall, Swanson Gallery or Trish and Dick Davidson Gallery.
  • Suzanne and Walter Scott Great Hall: Formerly known as the Main Waiting Room, this is the single largest room in the museum. The Great Hall can accommodate up to 350 guests for a sit-down dinner or up to 600 people for a cocktail reception. Rental includes use of the Swanson Gallery and Baggage Claim area.
  • Trish and Dick Davidson Gallery: Formerly known as track level, this area includes access to the museum’s permanent exhibits and trains. This space can accommodate 150 guests for a sit-down dinner along the trackside.
  • Swanson Gallery: Formerly Union Station’s Hayden House Restaurant, the Swanson Gallery can accommodate up to 250 guests for a sit-down dinner.
  • Stanley and Dorothy Truhlsen Lecture Hall: This auditorium-style lecture space is located on the lower level of the museum. Housed in the station’s old boiler room, the Truhlsen Lecture Hall has theater-style seating for 266 and a private entrance. This space is best suited for lectures and presentations.
  • Criss Conference Room: The Criss Conference Room is equipped with tables and chairs for seating for up to 40 guests, video equipment and attached bathrooms. This space is available for day rentals only.

• Entire Building: Rental of the entire building includes use of the Suzanne and Walter Scott Great Hall, Swanson Gallery, Trish and Dick Davidson Gallery on track level and all permanent galleries. See individual areas for capacities.

Support The Durham Museum… by simply booking your next special occasion here:

https://durhammuseum.org/museum-rentals/ 

As a SHOP: Discover unique gifts…

Located in Union Station’s original ticket office, The Gilbert M. & Martha H. Hitchcock Museum Shop offers a delightful shopping experience! Discover railroad memorabilia, children’s educational books and games and one-of-a-kind items from local artisans. You are sure to find that perfect gift for the history buff on your shopping list! Proceeds from your purchase go toward the support of museum programs.

Support the The Durham Museum … by simply purchasing your specialty merchandise here:

https://durhammuseum.org/visit/hitchcock-museum-shop/ 

As an EATERY: Food for thought…

Step back in time and visit Union Station’s original Soda Fountain! Enjoy an old fashioned phosphate made with your favorite flavoring and soda water straight from the fountain dispenser. Add some hand-scooped ice cream and it becomes a luscious ice cream soda or root beer float. Delicious malts, shakes and sundaes are also favorites.

The Soda Fountain also serves lunch! Stop by for a hearty hotdog, a tasty pulled-pork sandwich or yummy mac-n-cheese. Food service is available during regular museum hours.

Our old-fashioned Candy Shop will entice any sweet tooth! We offer an expansive variety of nostalgic, hard-to-find candies. Plus, who can pass on fresh popcorn?

Support The Durham Museum… by simply dining here:

https://durhammuseum.org/visit/soda-fountain-and-candy-shop-2/ 

Be a DONOR: Show that you care…

Membership

A Durham Museum membership not only provides you with great benefits but also supports the preservation of history for future generations. This includes the National Historic Landmark and art deco icon The Durham Museum calls home, Omaha’s Union Station. Join and enjoy all the museum has to offer!

All basic membership includes free admission; discounts on educational programs; and a discount in our Hitchcock Museum Shop and Soda Fountain. Our membership is offered at a variety of levels: * Individual * Educator * Senior * Family * Senior Family * Educator Family, and * Military Family.

Patron level memberships give members the opportunity to provide additional support for the museum’s programs while also enjoying a package of terrific membership benefits. All Patron memberships include all of the basic benefits of a Family membership as well as the Add-a-Friend and Smithsonian Fellow add-on features. Patron membership levels: * Patron Bronze * Patron Silver, or *Patron Gold  Join or upgrade your membership today to enjoy all that The Durham has to offer!

Annual Fund Donation

Every day, The Durham Museum helps to bring history closer to people right here in our community. You can support this important work with a gift to the museum’s Annual Fund. Separate from memberships, gifts to the Annual Fund help to sustain museum operations, support important preservation efforts, and make possible engaging education programs, exhibits, and events that make our community a more vibrant place. 

All gifts are 100% tax deductible and go to the area of greatest need. Your contribution will provide unrestricted support to all kinds of projects at the museum, including programs enjoyed by visitors and school groups, as well as work taking place behind the scenes that help us preserve and display historic artifacts, present exhibitions and more.

Tribute Gifts

Tribute gifts allow you to honor or memorialize a friend or loved one with a direct gift to the museum that helps to sustain museum operations, support important preservation efforts, and make possible engaging education programs, exhibits, and events that make our community a more vibrant place. 

The Durham Society

We invite you to become a member of the Durham Society, a diverse group that shares a philanthropic commitment to bring history, culture, science and industry to our community. Durham Society members make an annual gift of $1,000 or more. Members of this donor circle receive many exclusive benefits and have helped bring more than 70 traveling exhibitions to Omaha with their extraordinary support. Your generous contribution to the Durham Society will provide the critical support needed for the museum to thrive as a premier learning and entertainment destination in our region.

Good Neighbor Museum Fund 

The Good Neighbor Museum Fund was created to give families who may not otherwise have the opportunity to visit The Durham Museum with the chance to experience a full year of exhibitions, programs, and family events. Thanks to the support of generous donors, the museum is able to offer low-cost memberships to families meeting certain criteria, subject to availability. A gift of $65 will provide a full year of membership to one area family, and gifts of all sizes are both needed and appreciated. Thank you for helping us make the museum accessible to all!

Brick-by-Brick Campaign

Leave your mark on the museum by supporting the Brick-by-Brick Campaign! Purchase an engraved brick for yourself or a loved one while supporting the museum’s mission. Your brick will be added to the courtyard in front of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Gallery and become a permanent part of the museum. Bricks are available for a tax-deductible contribution of $200 each. Each brick can accommodate two lines of text with 16 characters per line (spaces also count as a character).

Sponsorships and Corporate Giving

Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities enable our corporate, foundation and individual supporters to demonstrate their interest and passion in the museum’s first-class exhibitions, education programs preservation initiatives, and event opportunities made available to the community. From expanding field trip opportunities for local students to programs that bring The Durham to classrooms across the state and beyond, there are numerous ways to support the museum’s historic mission.

Planned Giving and Endowment

By including The Durham Museum in your estate plans, you will help to sustain Union Station, the museum, and its collections and programs for generations to come. The museum offers many planned giving opportunities including bequests, life income plans, charitable lead trusts, and gifts of life insurance policies. A simple bequest reserving a set amount or percentage to The Durham Museum in your will or living trust will ensure the museum can continue its work, while providing important tax benefits for your estate.

Everyone’s situation is different and together with you and your financial planner, we can make suggestions that fit your philanthropic and financial goals. Please call the development office to begin the conversation. If you have already included the museum in your giving plans, please let us know!

Volunteer

Visitors flock to The Durham Museum to experience culture, history and fun-filled family activities. You can be a part of the adventure by joining The Durham Volunteers. Not only will you spend time in an invigorating atmosphere you are sure to enjoy, you will also receive exclusive volunteer perks! 

We offer a wide variety of both seasonal and year-round volunteer positions. Our volunteers are an extraordinary group of individuals who take pride in our unique heritage and enjoy sharing their experiences with visitors from around the world. As a volunteer, you will have an opportunity to interact with a diverse array of visitors, as well as with other volunteers and staff who share similar interests and passions.

Support The Durham Museum... by simply joining, giving, and volunteering here:
https://durhammuseum.org/support/ways-to-give/