Corvette Museum may keep sinkhole

After seeing attendance jump since eight Corvettes were swallowed by a sinkhole, National Corvette Museum officials are considering keeping the pit as an attraction, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

Attendance at the museum rose 56 percent in March and 48 percent in April after the 40-foot sinkhole formed Feb. 12, museum spokeswoman Katie Frassinelli said.

Current visitors can see the sinkhole and museum officials are considering installing a glass floor or bridge above the hole. Stairs that would take visitors into the hole are also being considered, Frassinelli said.

"The sinkhole is a part of not only the museum's history but also Corvette history," Frassinelli said in an email. "We are in the business to preserve the history of the car – which now includes a sinkhole."

Workers exhumed the last of the eight Corvettes in March. According to the museum's blog, General Motors representatives will meet with museum officials this month to inspect each of the cars and determine which will be restored.

The Corvettes that are not restored will be kept as part of a permanent display about the sinkhole.

Reporter Patrick T. Sullivan can be reached at (502) 582-4335 or on Twitter @CJ_PSullivan.