Houston's airport museum is fundraising to repair storm damage

Houston's historic 1940 Air Terminal Museum has been in better shape.

The big picture: Beryl left the museum, located inside the city's original art deco municipal airport building at Hobby Airport, with water and wind damage.

• The facility is insured, but the Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society, which runs the museum, is facing "significant" deductibles.

Driving the news: The nonprofit is asking the public to chip in through GoFundMe .

• The campaign, which kicked off July 26, has a goal of raising $25,000, but as of Wednesday it had raised only $700.

Catch up quick: The museum houses exhibits on Houston's storied aeronautic past.

• That includes the proliferation of home-grown airlines and the training of Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II.

Jay's thought bubble: Back in 2021, having never visited the museum, I nuzzled my way into spending a day there by pitching a story on the museum's little-known features and factoids.

• That day, I learned five new things about Houston , and I often remember the impact reporting that story had on me — from a renewed respect for retro knickknacks to the importance of preserving the city's historic infrastructure.

The bottom line: With a city infatuated with destroying its built history , here's one way to help preserve it.