Opal Lee turned 100 on Wednesday, and the project she has spent her later years pushing for took a physical step forward the same morning.
Supporters gathered for a "Clearing the Way" ceremony at the site of the planned National Juneteenth Museum, marking the start of demolition of the Southside Community Center at East Rosedale Street and New York Avenue in the Historic Southside, about two miles south of downtown, NBC 5 reported.
The City Council had earlier approved taking the building down to make room for the museum, according to CBS News Texas.
"Quite frankly, the demolition of this building is a birthday present to Ms. Opal for her 100th birthday," museum CEO Jarred Howard told CBS News Texas.
What is planned
The museum is expected to cost $70 million. Howard told CBS News Texas the fundraising campaign is about 70% complete, and the Fort Worth Report, citing earlier reporting, put the total raised at more than $50 million, with about $20 million still to go.
Plans call for a building of roughly 50,000 square feet that would also hold a business incubator, a food hall and a theater. The city has pledged up to $15 million toward construction, and city leaders estimate the museum could draw about 35,000 visitors a year, according to NBC 5.
The community center being removed served the neighborhood for generations, including as a popular polling place, CBS News Texas reported. The Southside was once a center of Black business and culture before Interstate 35W cut through the area in the 1960s, NBC 5 noted.
