[1][3] Originally, The Citizens Motorcar Company sold Packards in Dayton, Ohio beginning in 1908, and moved into what is now the museum building in 1917.

Robert Signom II, the museum's Founder and Curator for 27 years, acquired the building in 1991 and painstakingly rehabilitated it to its original Art Deco grandeur.

The original 20' tall porcelain and neon Packard sign, removed from the building in the early 1940s, returned to its former position at the corner of Ludlow and Franklin Streets in 1992 for the grand opening of the museum.

Since that time, the museum has grown in size and stature, winning the James Bradley Award of the Society of Automotive Historians in 2004.

In 2019, Robert Signom III was named Curator to continue the legacy of Packard, and the mission and vision of the museum founded by his father.