For five years, a non profit organization has been working to build a military heritage center at College Station’s Veterans Park…a place which honors the legacy of citizen-soldiers through educational programs, seminars, and thematic exhibits.
An update was given during the last College Station city council meeting by the project spokesman and former Texas A&M system board of regents member John White.
White who began with a review of the project, which dates back to an exhibit in Bastogne, Belgium during the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.
Seniors in Texas A&M’s college of architecture designed the two story structure.
The first floor includes a theater and an educational hall.
The second floor includes a main exhibit hall, a Hall of Honor, a research library, and an area for archives.
White presented a fundraising update where he said the $8 million dollar campaign with a $4 million endowment was at $500,000 dollars when the pandemic began.
The city council, which previously agreed to a long term lease of park property for the center, was asked to consider financial support.
White said two foundations, the city of Bryan, Brazos County, and Texas A&M are all interested, but “it’s on the land of College Station, and they’re saying what’s College Station doing, then we’ll tell you what we’ll do after that.”
White said the project is also under advisement by the city of College Station’s bond advisory committee and two foundations.
Councilman John Crompton asked White about the possibility of partnering with Texas A&M. White said they “are open to collaboration” while they “push forward with foundations and what we’re doing.”
Click below for comments from the April 14, 2022 College Station city council meeting.