National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, Texas
October 21, 2026
Architects: BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group
Location: Fort Worth, Texas, United States of America
Images © BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group
On the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth’ Dr. Opal Lee’s centennial birthday, the National Juneteenth Museum reached a major milestone as demolition began on the Historic Southside Community Center in Fort Worth, Texas – the future site of the museum. Designed by BIG and Alligood Song Architects with KAI Enterprises and the local Fort Worth community, the museum is envisioned as the new national and global epicenter for the education, preservation, and celebration of the Juneteenth holiday. Juneteenth, observed annually in the United States on June 19, commemorates the day in 1865 when news of emancipation reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas.
The demolition of the Historic Southside Community Center marks another major step toward realizing the 72,000-sq-ft National Juneteenth Museum, which will host exhibitions, discussions, and events about the significance of African American freedom.
Together with Dr. Lee’s 100th birthday, the milestone was celebrated with a ceremony attended by Dr. Lee, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, government officials, community members, museum supporters, and the design team. The Historic Southside Community Center, a more than 50-year-old building that would have required nearly $10 million in repairs, recently relocated operations to less than a mile away to the Hazel Harvey Peace Center for Neighborhoods.
The museum’s undulating roof creates a series of ridges, peaks, and valleys of varying heights that combine to create a ‘nova star’ shaped courtyard in the middle, which acts as an anchor for the museum and its activities. Meaning ‘new star,’ the nova star represents a new chapter for African Americans looking ahead towards a more just future.
In addition to representing Texas – the last state to adopt and acknowledge the freedom of African American slaves – the star nods to the American flag’s 50 stars that represent all 50 U.S. states, representing the freedom of African Americans across the country.
The mass timber structure extends from exterior to interior, creating a strong visual continuity throughout the museum. The building’s public and private realms are also interconnected through its circular layout, with a business incubator, food hall, flexible black box space, and theater on the ground floor.
Immersive galleries extend from the ground floor to the upper level, giving visitors an overhead perspective into the public courtyard below and allowing light to travel through the entire space. Glass walls reinforce a sense of openness, transparency, and connection, complementing the pared-back timber and concrete material palette.
Surrounding the museum, a network of plazas, generous lawns, and native landscaping extends the building’s sense of community into the public realm, creating spaces for outdoor exhibitions, large-scale installations, and gatherings.
National Juneteenth Museum in Texas, USA – Building Information
Architects: BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group – https://big.dk/
- Client: Juneteenth Museum
- Building Size: 7061 sqm
- Building Size: 72,000 Sf
- City: Fort Worth
- Country: United States
- Collaborators: Alligood Song Architects, KAI Enterprises, EDSA, Carrillo Engineering, StructureCraft, WSP, KAI Engineering, Dot Dash, Schuler Shook, WJHW, JMK, Cedrick Frank Associates, Drytec, Local Projects, Vermeulens, GreeNexus Consulting
BIG Team
- Partner-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Daniel Sundlin, Douglass Alligood
- Project Manager: Linus Saavedra
- Design Leader: Kristian Hindsberg, Alvaro Velosa
- Technical Leader: David Iseri
- Team: Abdur-Rahman Harunah, Alejandra Cortes, Andrea Megan Hektor, Christina Papadopoulou, Cooper Raposo, Evan James Hotary, Florencia Kratsman, Foad Sarsangi, Jan Leenknegt, Joanne Zheng, John Dan Adrian Christopher, Marcus Wilford, Margaret Tyrpa, Mateo Deza, Montre’ale Jones, Nathaniel Buchanan Albers, Ololade Owolabi, Pooja Annamaneni, Qicheng Mama Wu, Robert Ryan Harvey, Ryan Henriksen, San Yoon, Suji Lee, Thakan Navapakpilai, Vi Madrazo, Yasamin Mayyas, Yumiko Matsubara
Renders © BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group
National Juneteenth Museum, Fort Worth, Texas property images / information received 211026
Location: Fort Worth, Texas, TX, USA
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