Building on Our Foundation: Aviation Exhibit at Stanley Marketplace

Stanley Marketplace is so abuzz with activity, it can be easy to forget that this remarkable space has an even more remarkable history.

A new exhibit, “Building on Stanley’s Foundation,” seeks to engage visitors with this history. A collaboration between Stanley Marketplace, the Aurora History Museum, and Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, the exhibit explores the Stanley Marketplace’s history as an aviation hub where lifesaving technology was developed for pilots.

Bob Stanley founded Stanley Aviation in 1948 after many years as an engineer and test pilot. He moved his company to Aurora in 1954 and, in what is now Stanley Marketplace, Stanley and his team designed innovative escape systems, or ejection seats as we know them, for a variety of different planes. The exhibit will feature historical photos and two ejection seats that were originally built at Stanley.

The Aurora History Museum and Wings Over the Rockies partnered with Stanley Marketplace to make this impressive aviation exhibit a reality. It’s an exploration of history on site, right where the history happened. The exhibit is a destination in itself, and with the many other ways to enjoy Stanley Marketplace during your visit, it’s a must-see.