(US donations are tax-deductible! New stuff up top. Summary and FAQ below.)

Bloop has reimagined the first phase of our move. Check it out:

This campaign has changed a lot over the last couple years. First, we had aspirations to purchase a building outright and fix up the first floor of the place. That was a bit too much. So then we decided to break that up into smaller pieces. We were down to two buildings. Both had a big room next to a parking lot to start out in, needed work on the restrooms, weren't quiiite ADA compliant, and needed some cleanup and inspections.

We set a goal to cover a down payment, closing costs, transportation, inspections, and bringing everything into compliance. Options for spaces came and went, as you might expect. Even with solid projections, options for lending also came and went. The rest of the plan was (is) very solid - to keep our operating costs and mortgage payments low so they can be covered by our recurring donations (won't you join them?), and slowly expand and renovate while we operate and open more areas to the public.

a fairly long two-story building along a road with a small yard and sidewalk out front.

We got a contract accepted on our best commercial property option, pictured above. Then we hit our goal of $240,000, and six lending options fell through. Fortunately, a private lender stepped up and totally saved the day, and the local government is working with us to open the building in phases. We closed on the deal and we now have a building in Penn Hills, near Monroeville!

Newcomers might wonder, if everything worked out, why does this fundraiser exist? Folks who donated and supported the campaign and newcomers alike will probably wonder why the dollar amount has gone up.

Very simply: We're not trying to buzzkill the satisfaction from completing a fundraiser (we took a screenshot). This is just the next phase. Pittsburgh was hit with some very serious storms as we purchased, and inspections revealed repairs we wanted to do before we even moved our stuff to the space (which we're almost done doing). We re-prioritized everything in a way that we could move in as soon as possible. We've been organizing and packing while renovating, and even doing other repairs while we set up. We couldn't open by fall, but we're really close now, and hoping to show you Phase 1 of our museum build-out within a month!

If you're new to this campaign, you might be asking....

What's a Bloop? We're an electronic entertainment museum dedicated to computers, games, media, and gadgets! We're currently moving from the System Source Computer Museum in Baltimore to the new building you see above, just outside Pittsburgh. We spent years adding fun and flair to System Source, supplied our own, and also became neighbors with National Electronics Museum, formerly near BWI airport. They're both open in Baltimore, still.

Our Video Game exhibit!

We ran Bloop as a pop-up museum for a decade, and then inside System Source for seven. That's 17 years of Bloop! And success means growth. Things were a bit tight in Baltimore, so we bought a new (abandoned) space, and we're fundraising to fix it up to show you something truly special. Don't forget - your donation is very likely tax-deductible!

A slice of our Japan exhibit

Some of Bloop's highlights:

We recovered data from an old floppy disk critical to the exoneration of two men who were falsely convicted (Read the story here)!
We preserved the only known working BIOS for the Montgomery Ward Cybervision 2001.
Between all three museums, we've conducted over 5,000 tours (Schedule a tour here).
Our collection is growing; we recently inventoried our 25,000th artifact.
We contribute thousands of edits to online game and media databases yearly.
We lead high school, middle school, and elementary school tours, which are always a big hit.
We participated in multiple local, regional, national, and global events.

Apple exhibit and more

Our former hosts, System Source / Maryland Technology Museum, have a bunch of cool things going on as well:

Usagi Electric restored a Bendix G-15, a programmable vacuum tube computer from 1956. We're pretty sure it's the oldest running computer in North America!
A large new IBM exhibit, featuring a System/360 with a very cool story.
A new row of computers including a number of early programmable machines you can try.
Regular repair weekends - repair your stuff, ours, or help someone!

IBMs and Flight Sims

Feel free to also donate artifacts in (or related to) four major categories:

Any electronic game, on any media, for any system, from any time period (or the system).
Interesting computer hardware/software, especially non-PC or pre-2000.
Audio/video media & players, the more weird/obscure/failed, the better!
Tech gadgets! Bring in your old MP3 player, phone, or other obsolete thing.

Acorns, Tandy, and more, oh my!

No money or things to donate? Need some other options?

If you're near Pittsburgh, consider volunteering - contact us and we'll help you find something interesting to do. ☺ If you donate to a DAF (donor-advised fund), you can recommend the DAF donate to us (please give us a heads up). If you're a livestreamer, we're set up with PayPal Giving Fund. If your employer is set up with Benevity or Deed, you can donate through those, and possibly even receive a match! And of course, it's free to spread the word about this campaign!

Bloop Museum Moves to Pittsburgh

By The Bloop Museum

Bloop Museum Moves to Pittsburgh

We got the building! Here's what's next.