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Real Life Stories

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum

Valcom Survives Time Travel By Blending In

Imagine that you’re asked to perform a task because your work has a reputation of high quality. You’re being commissioned, you’re told, because the job possesses the highest of expectations and a demand for superior results. 

You love these kinds of requests. You never cut corners and actually get a gnawing feeling in your stomach whenever you see something that has been done halfway. Without question, your favorite projects are those where you know up front that the customer truly wants the job done right. 

As you accept this job that insists on your professional expertise, you might think to yourself, “I’ll show ‘em work that’s fit for a museum.” 

There’s only one catch. The work you do can’t look like what it really is. Your talent and ability are desired, it’s just that the results can’t be obvious. 

That’s exactly the dilemma that John Behmer faced. When the folks at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum contacted him and begin to describe the requirements for a new paging system, John realized right up front that this would be a first class installation. 

What the museum management and board wanted was a professional sounding system that would serve to page personnel and provide announcements for closing time and special events. 

“What they didn’t want,”  says John, “was a paging system that  looked like a paging system.” 

As the owner of Behmer Communications in Mishawaka, Indiana, and a 30-year telecommunications veteran, John Behmer was all too familiar with his new client’s conceptions of paging. He knew the museum folks would not even consider the use of conventional horns and industrial-type housings. Even the standard, yet innocuous, round ceiling speaker would be frowned upon.

Besides the inappropriateness of industrial-looking speakers, there was the overriding issue of historical preservation.

The building itself could not be altered to any substantial degree. Components placed within it would have to either complement the existing fixtures and architecture, or be practically invisible. At the same time, there were plenty of restrictions on where to run wire and the mounting of speakers. John knew that much of the so-called contemporary speaker housings for paging purposes would not be pleasing to his client. Most of it would “clash” with other fixtures or be an obvious distraction to the critical eye—precisely the day-to-day audience that this venue commanded.

Since 1984, when John began Behmer Communications, he has relied on Valcom paging systems (based upon his telco experience). According to John, Valcom was easy to install; it was extremely flexible to meet the designs of all types of applications; it provided all the features users wanted; and it easily integrated with his choice telephone system—Comdial. As a long time authorized Comdial distributor who uses no other paging system but Valcom, John even liked the idea that his company provided American-made solutions.

So, John already had Valcom in mind when he heard from the museum. But what would he do about the challenging aesthetic requirements?

He still relied on Valcom.

In addition to a complete line of speakers and horns that were available in housings suitable for conventional or industrial environments, John knew Valcom had a family of speakers well-suited for sites like the automobile museum. In particular, the Pendant speaker, Track-Style speaker, and Slimline™ wall speaker would serve the visual specifications while meeting the system requirements. All three models are available in four standard colors, plus customized colors if desired.

“Having these good looking speakers available in various colors was a real advantage,” says John. “We were able to place them in ways that blended in with the different interiors in all parts of the building.”

John also recalled some interesting aspects about the installation itself.

“This was a tedious installation. If anything was going on near one of the vehicles, they would insist on moving it out of the way. I remember it took five people to move a car—a driver, plus four spotters around the outside of the car watching. But I really enjoyed the job. The biggest difficulty was in trying not to be distracted by reading about those wonderful cars! Just like the automobiles, the people involved were the highest quality. They are good customers.”

Behmer Communication’s solution also included the installation of a new Comdial DSU telephone key system. Valcom’s paging features easily integrated into the phone system and the paging was set up for two zones (although a six zone control was used for expansion that is already underway). John and technician Joe Shelley had to face challenges such as balancing the sound in areas where speakers were only allowed on one wall.

“The Valcom system delivers clear, crisp quality,” says John, “and with built-in volume controls on each speaker, we were able to provide complete coverage over the entire facility.”

Laura Brinkman, assistant director and the person responsible for the operations at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum agreed that Valcom proved to be the perfect fit.

“We were very particular about the whole building,” says Laura, “but John bent over backwards for us. From the color of speakers to the sound of the system to our restrictions on running wire or conduit on the brick walls—the Valcom paging system works well for us. It serves our daily visitors and after hour events, including dinners, reunions, and receptions.”

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, which indeed is located in Auburn, Indiana, is the original national headquarters for the Auburn Automobile Company, and is the only car museum accredited by the American Association of Museums. The building included the assembly area and factory showroom for the sporty Auburn, the innovative front-drive Cord, and the ultra-elegant Duesenberg, which was later purchased by visionary industrialist E.L. Cord and spawned the popular phrase, “It’s a Duesy!” The 66,000 square-foot museum opened on Independence Day weekend, 1974.

“The art deco style matches the high glamour theme and continues the early 1930’s classic look presented in the original factory showroom,” says Gregg Buttermore, publicist for the museum. “But along with its terrazzo floor, plate glass, high ceiling, and hard acoustics comes the terrible bounce back you would get from any sound system. The only way to get the proper sound is to experiment and tweak how it spreads through the area. Plus, the system digitally records our announcements to prevent feedback.”

 In addition to Valcom’s V-9963 Digital Feedback Eliminator, Gregg especially likes what he calls the “marriage” between the telephone and the paging systems.

“It’s so handy to simply push two buttons. Besides our showroom, we have recreated original working environments such as the design, clay modeling, engineering and sales departments. We are also working on an additional 36,000 square-foot area for hosting even more events. The paging must reach all of these areas.”

Gregg says the museum is open seven days a week, all year long, with a staff of 28, and typically houses about 115 vehicles. The Valcom paging system is accessible by the staff at every telephone, and is primarily used for locating personnel, automatic closing announcements (using the V-2006A contact closure on a time clock), and for assistance in potential emergency situations whenever they have large crowds.

Step inside the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, and you are instantly transported back in time to an industrial age in the United States that was operating at its hey day before the Great Depression. It’s easy to forget the plastic lined, aerodynamic and ergonomic vehicle that you just stepped out of, complete with its cell phone, cruise control, intermittent wipers, and handy little cup holders. Our new world of safety air bags and warning labels on the sun visor has certainly provided improvements. But it’s funny how many of the advancements and notions of progress seem to quickly fade away when you approach a gleaming 1932 Duesenberg J Murphy Torpedo Convertible Coupe with its classic green and black two tone body, impressive wheelbase, shimmering grille and distinctive proud headlights. A roadworthy motorcar where it seems as if more attention was placed on mounting the spare wheel than on entire engines rolling off today’s assembly lines.

This is the kind of nostalgia that visitors experience every day at the stately museum in Auburn, Indiana. And it’s also this step into yesteryear—while people are looking, reading, hearing, and remembering the good ol’ days—that makes time fly and keeps them glued to the floor right up to closing time.

Until out of nowhere, a gentle announcement comes from a beautiful, yet unnoticed Valcom paging system that reminds visitors, “the museum is now closing. 

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