OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma National Guard is set to officially unveil its newly constructed museum facility during a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 3301 Northeast Grand Boulevard in Oklahoma City.
The event marks a major expansion in the preservation and presentation of Oklahoma’s military history, with the new Oklahoma National Guard Museum significantly broadening the scope of the former 45th Infantry Division Museum.
Located immediately south of the Oklahoma Military Department headquarters, the newly developed 39,375 square-foot facility has been designed to showcase and preserve the history of both the Oklahoma Army National Guard and the Oklahoma Air National Guard.
Media representatives attending the event have been asked to arrive earlier in the afternoon to allow time for interviews and b-roll footage prior to a private gathering scheduled after the ceremony.
According to the Oklahoma National Guard, the museum has been created to preserve and interpret the organisation’s history from its origins as a Territorial Militia through to modern-day operations.
“The mission of the museum is to collect, preserve and interpret the impact of the OKNG’s past, present and future.”
Officials said the museum presents the full story of the Oklahoma National Guard’s various components while highlighting the contributions of Oklahoma’s Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen across decades of military and domestic service.
“The museum includes the entire story of the OKNG components, from Territorial Militia to present day, highlighting Oklahoma’s Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen in both overseas and domestic operations.”
The facility has been designed as a modern educational and historical venue aimed at improving public understanding of the National Guard’s role within Oklahoma and across the United States. Exhibits are expected to document military deployments, emergency response efforts and the evolving responsibilities of Guard personnel throughout the organisation’s history.
Alongside exhibition galleries, the museum includes space for historical education programmes as well as public and private events. Officials believe the expanded venue will serve as both a community resource and a long-term archive of Oklahoma military heritage.
The broader redevelopment project also includes the planned renovation of the original 1936 Works Progress Administration building situated on the museum grounds. Renovation work is expected to begin later this summer as part of efforts to preserve the site’s historic significance while integrating it into the expanded museum campus.
“The new facility, along with the renovation of the original 1936 WPA building scheduled for this summer, provides a venue unmatched, a benchmark for state National Guard museums and an inspiration for future service in the Oklahoma National Guard.”
The opening reflects wider efforts among military museums and heritage institutions in the United States to modernise facilities and expand public engagement through updated exhibitions and educational initiatives.
By transforming the former 45th Infantry Division Museum into a larger Oklahoma National Guard Museum, officials are positioning the institution as a comprehensive centre dedicated to documenting the state’s military history and the continuing role of the National Guard in both national defence and domestic operations.
The museum will officially open to the public the day after the ribbon cutting ceremony. Admission will be free for visitors.
Operating hours will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays.
Officials expect the museum to attract veterans, military families, historians, students and visitors interested in learning more about Oklahoma’s military service history and the ongoing contributions of the Oklahoma National Guard.
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