Since its creation in 2006, the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation has been gathering and cataloging historic artifacts left behind by the Imperial Sugar Company. The artifacts line the shelves of the foundation's temporary museum space at 198 Kempner St., but the museum has now found a permanent home.
Sugar Land City Council approved the final location for the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation Museum at the Sept. 16 regular meeting. Council determined the museum will occupy about 12,600 square feet on the second floor of the former container warehouse near the eight-story Char House within the Imperial Sugar Land redevelopment.
"The museum will present how Sugar Land grew from a small company town into one of the best places in America to live and work," said Dennis Parmer, executive director of the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation. "It will be a must-see for anyone living in or visiting Sugar Land."
The museum will showcase several exhibits categorized by the city's timeline.
- The "Pre-1821" exhibit will highlight the areaonce inhabited by the Karankawa Indians.
- The "1821-1836" exhibit will show the first settlements formed.
- The "Plantation Era" will cover Sugar Land during the Civil War.
- The "Company Town Era" will display the growthof the Imperial Sugar Company.
- The "Modern Era" will present Sugar Land as itis today.
"Coming out of our planning, we determined there could be five or six eras of Sugar Land [history], depending on how you want to divide them," Parmer said. "Within those eras, there are certainly chapters and subchapters we can show."
The Johnson Development Corporation, the developer behind the Imperial Sugar Land master-planned community, has an office on-site as well.
Shay Shafie, Imperial Sugar Land's general manager, said the Heritage Museum is an important part of the community's theme and future growth.
"Our goal all along has been to create a new community that preserves therich heritage and tradition of Sugar Land," Shafie said.
The museum is slated to open in early 2017, Parmer said. In the meantime, the current space in the former personnel building will remain open to the public on Saturdays from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. where visitors can see some of the early artifacts once part of the Imperial Sugar Company and take a free guided heritage tour of the Imperial property.
The Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center, which is slated to open in May 2016, will take up the first floor of the warehouse. The 10,000-square-foot venue will feature six exhibits and an outdoor space.
"The restoration [of the warehouse] will require this year and most of 2015 to be completed," said Tracy Golden, capital campaign manager with the Discovery Center project. "During this time major site improvements, such as parking, sidewalks and the extension of Brooks Street, will also be made."
Officials with both the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation and the Discovery Center said they are ready to bring new attractions to Sugar Land visitors through a working partnership at the Imperial Sugar Land development.
"We are looking forward to having the Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center as neighbors," Parmer said. "We think there is a lot of synergy we can do with them, and we see a lot of positives about being in that close proximity."
