SPAM Museum

There’s no mistaking that blue can. Which provided the inspiration for the team designing the new SPAM Museum, located near Hormel Food’s corporate headquarters in Austin, Minnesota. In designing the bright blue-and-brick building, RSP had two goals: 1) anchor downtown to boost business; and 2) celebrate the story of SPAM.

The new museum conveys the fun, lightheartedness aspects of the brand while providing tens of thousands of annual visitors a historic and entertaining journey through SPAM’s 125-year odyssey. The juxtaposition of building a contemporary, interactive museum on a traditional small town main street was a challenge. Our team carefully considered traffic patterns and surrounding businesses. Located on a highly visible corner, the new museum is already a point of pride. Open since April 2016, the SPAM Museum is exceeding expectations, attracting more visitors than projected and revitalizing downtown Austin by entertaining thousands with dynamic interactive exhibits and activities.