Ground broke earlier this week on a new historical museum designed to tell Houston’s story in a way that’s never been told before. Located downtown off of Texas Independence Trail between the George R. Brown Convention Center and Minute Maid Park, the museum will focus specifically on the history of southeast Texas.
Mayor Annise Parker initially expressed interest to Silver Eagle CEO John Nau about creating a special visitors center that highlights the city’s accomplishments. Nau took the idea and ran with it. After studying other heritage centers across the country, organizers learned the center would need to be deeply educational to succeed.
The Nau Center will have three key themes: Gone to Texas, Seize Opportunity and Get Big Things Done, all of which will highlight the influential figures, defining moments and monumental accomplishments that define the city.
"Houston thinks big, dreams big and takes action,” said Nau.
A great example of how this museum will deeply explore the region’s history is NASA. Mayor Parker explained that instead of briefly covering the Johnson Space Center, the exhibit will highlight “the city of Houston's own Gragg Building, the headquarters of our parks department which was the first home of mission control and has some nifty space artifacts." By showcasing these interesting details, which have been left nearly unwritten, the Nau Center has the potential to evoke a renewed sense of pride in the city.
In addition to interactive exhibits, the Nau Center will also feature a rooftop garden, rotunda, plaza, gift shop and gallery spaces. The 70,000 square foot center is anticipated to open in Fall 2016, and is expected to be a hot spot when Houston hosts the 2017 Super Bowl. On average, the center expects to bring in roughly 400,000 visitors every year.
The most important goal of the Nau Center is to inspire visitors to never give up on their dreams. “It's not just learning about Texas history,” explained Nau. “It's about being inspired to think bigger than they might normally think."
