National Juneteenth Museum
Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway has made a signature, naming-rights gift of $2 million toward the construction of the National Juneteenth Museum, the company announced this week.
The gift comes in the wake of the Fort Worth City Council committing $15 million to the project 17 months ago. In the past year, the state of Texas and Bank of America each infused $1 million.
In July, Jarred Howard, museum CEO, said the organization had raised $30 million of the $70 million it sought.
“We are incredibly grateful to BNSF Railway, a world-class service provider and highly regarded community stakeholder, for its generous investment,” Howard said in a statement. “We are thrilled that guests of the National Juneteenth Museum will be made aware of BNSF’s commitment through this inaugural naming rights partnership.”
The project was formally announced in December 2021. The 50,000-square-foot cultural center will host guest lectures, community events and performances in its 250-seat amphitheater. 10,000 square feet of immersive exhibit galleries are planned for the museum. The lower level will also feature a restaurant, business incubator, and storefronts.
Three adjacent residential buildings will comprise of 55 residences.
Advocates say the museum will serve as an economic driver for tourism and a cultural hub for Fort Worth, Tarrant County and the historic Southside through job creation, tax revenue, and patron spending.
“BNSF is proud to partner with the National Juneteenth Museum to help honor American history and foster opportunities for economic and cultural growth, right near our headquarters here in Fort Worth,” said Zak Andersen, VP of corporate relations and president of the BNSF Railway Foundation. “We look forward to all the museum will bring to the community and the country by shining a light on those who have paved the way for future generations.”
The museum was designed by the New York office of Denmark-based Bjarke Ingels Group, said Howard, a Fort Worth native. It is the same firm that designed Google’s Northern California headquarters.
The design also draws on the Juneteenth Star featured on the official Juneteenth flag.
Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, announcing the emancipation of slaves in Texas. The date was 2 ½ years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth has been a Texas state holiday since 1980.
The leading voice for the push to make Juneteenth a federal holiday was Opal Lee of Fort Worth.
She was on hand when President Joe Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2022, marking the fulfillment of Lee’s lifelong cause.
She had a private moment before the ceremony with Biden. “He was delightful,” said Lee, Fort Worth Inc.’s Person of the Year in 2022. “It was humbling. I was delighted. I wanted to do a holy dance.”