Houston: 70,000-SF Nau Center underway in downtown

HOUSTON – The Nau Center for Texas Cultural Heritage is underway. The 70,000-sf center will be built at 1801 Capitol St., between the George R. Brown Convention Center and Minute Maid Park and is expected to be complete by fall 2016.

The center is a public-private partnership, in which the city donated the land and Houston First Corp. is the main partner on the project and will operate the facility once it is complete.

The center will include a retail shop and following six major areas:

•  the visitor center, which will showcase events and activities throughout the 29 counties of southeast Texas;

•  the historic Cohn House, which will be restored;

•  Texas Theatre, which will "offer a preview of the Nau Center experience";

•  education center;

•  the "Seize Opportunity" gallery, in which guests will "experience a chronological journey" through southeast Texas history;

•  the "Get Big Things Done" exhibit, which will highlight three of the region’s greatest achievements by using immersive 
presentations, titled "Johnson Space Center Mission Control," "Where 17 Railroads Meet the Sea" and "A Port that Welcomes the World";

The center currently has $33 million toward its $80 million overall project budget. Future revenue will come from visitor admissions, field trips, venue rentals for private events, sponsorship of galleries and kiosks, the retail shop, hotel occupancy taxes and private funding.