Fort Worth Juneteenth Museum Clears Site for $70M Build

Crews began clearing the former Southside Community Center site in Fort Worth this month for the National Juneteenth Museum. The work was timed to the Oct. 7 celebration of the 100th birthday of Opal Lee, the Fort Worth advocate known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth. The nonprofit still has about $15 million to raise toward its $70 million construction budget, Axios Dallas reported the day of the event.

Why it matters

A nonprofit build moving from fundraising to site work changes the picture for the contractors and suppliers who will bid it. Clearing the site commits the project to a location and a sequence before the budget is fully funded. For the Southside neighborhood, it is the first physical work on a project that has been discussed for years. For builders, the open question is how the remaining $15 million gap shapes the bid schedule.

The numbers

The construction budget stands at $70 million. Axios Dallas reported roughly $15 million was still unraised as of Oct. 7. Texas lawmakers allocated $10 million in state funds to the museum in 2025, KERA News reported. Courier Texas, writing ahead of the demolition, said the museum had raised more than two-thirds of its goal at that point. The Southside Community Center’s services are moving to the Hazel Harvey Peace Center for Neighborhoods.

What’s next

No construction groundbreaking date is on the record yet. The next verifiable milestones are a TDLR TABS registration naming the owner and cost, a Fort Worth building permit, and a general contractor. A fundraising update closing the $15 million gap would also set the pace. More Tarrant County coverage at the Dallas-Fort Worth market hub.