Smith & Company Architects :: Projects
African-American Museum and Library
Completed: estimated February 2009
Size: 20,000 sq ft
Scope:
The restoration and redevelopment of the historic Gregory School as an African American Museum & Library has opened the door to an opportunity to create an interpretive experience that will profoundly connect the school with the surrounding Houston community as the new center for interpreting African American culture through history. This building is an amazing artifact, vacant for years, that has just managed to stand the test of time. Now it will function as a new resource for interpreting history and preserving the history of the African American experience in Houston. The restoration will include a Museum, Library and Archives and a Black Box Theater.
The classroom will be restored with as much of the original finishes and furniture as possible to create the voice of the place. There will be some original students’ desks where visitors will be encouraged to sit as well as additional seating for adults. Visitors will discover that the classroom is actually a theater where they will experience their introduction to the primary storyline.