At an Oct. 9 meeting, Fort Bend County commissioners approved a nearly $4 million construction agreement with Construction Ltd. to build a new facility for the museum at Bates Allen Park, located at 630 Charlie Roberts Lane.
Zooming in
The museum, which opened in September 2017, will move to a 1.5-acre site with a two-story building totaling approximately 9,780 square feet, a large jump from its 900-square-foot Rosenberg location, according to its website.
According to agenda documents, the new site will feature:
- A showroom gallery for artwork and historical artifacts
- Outdoor dining and kitchen area
- 50 parking spaces
Ground was broken last September for the park's new African American Memorial, a project also spearheaded by Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy, Community Impact reported.
The memorial aims to acknowledge past injustices, restore human dignity and celebrate African Americans’ contributions to the county.
The first phase of the memorial project will include a:
- Juneteenth Freedom Plaza
- Three-story imposing monument, dedicated to notable African American historical figures
- Fragmented walkway
- Convict labor and leasing memorial, which will host 95 trees representing the Sugar Land 95
Future phases include the addition of a lynching reflection pond, McCoy said. Additionally, a learning center is also slated for Bates Allen Park.
What’s next
The museum will host a groundbreaking at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 4, with construction expected to take just under a year, per agenda documents.
“It has been a long time coming,” McCoy said. “Thanks to the members of the court for your support and the members of the public as well.”
