Mary Beth Leopold, Executive Director of The Automobile Gallery by Red Lewis in Green Bay, Wis., made a surprise announcement on Dec. 21 that the facility would open on Jan. 4, 2016. That's a month earlier than the new, non-profit car gallery was expected to debut.

Businessman William "Red" Lewis completely updated Joseph G. Denil's circa-1958 Cadillac dealership and turned it into an art gallery-like environment where some 60 cars, including hot rods and dragsters, will be showcased.

Lewis calls the facility "An environment as impressive as the automobiles that it surrounds" and his goal was to create a setting where the "automobile is art." In its mission statement, The Automobile Gallery states that it wants to "educate, inspire and share" Lewis' passion for automobiles with other people.

The gallery will present an ever-changing retrospective look at cars from the early 1900s through 2015. The vehicles in the inital display include a 1932 Ford hot rod 5-window coupe, a 1932 Ford Dearborn Deuce, roadster, a modified 1956 Ford F-100 pickup, an "old school" 1939 Chevy coupe, a second 1932 Dearborn Deuce, a T-bucket roadster and a 2006 Undercover dragster.

The modernized, renovated building also features a contmporary event space with a reception hall, catering and dining facilities, and an executive conference room with multi-media capabilities and a touch panel control system. Admission fees to the gallery and event rental spaces will help support the non-profit facility in downtown Green Bay. There will also be a Guest Vehicle Program through which cars - including hot rods - owned by collectors from across the country can be displayed for several months on a fee basis.

The Automobile Gallery has created a great deal of interest among car collectors in Wisconsin who heard rave reviews from the mid-November preview. Lewis finished the ambitious project ahead of schedule and decided to open the doors earlier than originally planned. "We are really looking forward to the January 4, 2016 opening," said Leopold. "The word is out."

Group discounts on admissions to The Automobile Gallery will be available to members of Hot Rod clubs. Clubs can also rent the events center or conference room for meetings, dinners and banquets. Leopold can be contacted through the Website to make such arrangements.