Worldwide Auctioneers has confirmed that it will stage its annual auction in its hometown of Auburn, Indiana, in the building that has housed a World War II museum and that is directly across the interstate highway from Auburn Auction Park, where RM Auctions does two collector car sales each year.
Worldwide had been staging its auctions near downtown Auburn in the former Auburn Service Building that houses the National Auto & Truck Museum of the United States.
Worldwide also will move its offices to the 200,000-square-foot building, which was purchased earlier this year by a group that includes Worldwide co-founder John Kruse. The National Military History Center was founded by Kruse’s uncle and collector car auction pioneer Dean Kruse, who developed the 30-acre campus as a home to various car museums and other businesses.
At a news conference Wednesday, the three new owners announced the facility is being renamed as Kruse Plaza and is being reworked to become an event venue in addition to hosting several businesses, including such current residents as the military museum and an antique mall.
In addition to staging its auction in the facility, Worldwide will open a collector car sales showroom called The Salon.
“We’re committed to offering each customer the optimum solution for selling their car or collection, whether privately or at auction, in the manner that best suits their individual circumstances,” Rod Egan, co-principal and Worldwide auctioneer, said in the company’s news release.
Also moving into the building will be an educational program started by John Kruse to provide career-path development for K-12 students as well as a career center for military veterans. The non-profit educational program anticipates working with more than 1 million students and 100,000 veterans in the next decade.
“This is a huge investment in resource for the future and supports a cause close to both mine and Rod’s hearts,” said John Kruse. “We are excited to have established a foundation that will lead this industry into the future.”
Meanwhile, Worldwide’s first auction in the new location is scheduled for August 31, just a couple of weeks after its annual Pacific Grove sale on the Monterey Peninsula during Monterey Car Week.
Worldwide also conducts annual sales in Scottsdale, Arizona, and in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
