TL;DR
- Closure: Microsoft permanently closed its Visitor Center in Redmond’s Building 92, ending 15 years of public access to the facility.
- What Was Lost: The center featured hands-on demos of Windows, Xbox, and Surface devices, plus historical exhibits including the Altair 8800 computer.
- Pattern: The closure follows the January 2026 shutdown of the Microsoft Library in the same building as part of a shift to AI-powered experiences.
- Replacement: Microsoft opened Experience Center One in 2025 for invited customers only, marking a shift from public to controlled access.
- Context: The closure aligns with Microsoft’s $5 billion campus refresh project replacing 12 older buildings with 17 new zero-carbon certified structures.
Microsoft recently closed its Visitor Center in Redmond’s Building 92, ending 15 years of public access to hands-on tech demos and company history exhibits.
The company confirmed to GeekWire that it sealed off the facility, removing one of the last spaces where the public could freely engage with Microsoft’s consumer technologies and founding story.
What Visitors Lost
For more than a decade, this space served as a hands-on tech showcase and historical exhibit in Redmond, welcoming both guests and employees. Located in Building 92, the former Eddie Bauer headquarters acquired by Microsoft, the space offered interactive demos of the company’s latest consumer technologies including Windows, Xbox, and Surface devices.
The center also housed exhibits about company initiatives in sustainability and AI for Good. Historical displays included an Altair 8800 computer, the hobbyist kit that inspired Bill Gates and Paul Allen to write the company’s original software. A timeline wall traced Microsoft’s history from its 1975 founding through the modern campus renovation…