Museum on the Move

Dallas Holocaust Museum gets new name to go along with brand-new home

The Dallas Holocaust Museum will build a new location in the West End Historic District in downtown Dallas.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance

The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance, a fixture in the city since 1984, has announced that it will build a new permanent home in the West End Historic District in downtown Dallas.

When the new location opens, the museum will also have a new name, the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, a change that was done in response to recent events and general societal landscape in Texas.

“At a time when Texas leads the nation in the number of active hate groups, and the Dallas community is still healing from the July 7 attack on local law enforcement officers, the most violent and hateful act against law enforcement officers since 9/11, we believe the mission of the new Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is more important than ever,” said museum president and CEO Mary Pat Higgins in a release.

The new museum will be built on what is currently a parking lot directly across the DART Rail corridor from the museum's current location at 211 N. Record St. The property, located at the intersection of Houston Street and Pacific Avenue, is already owned by the museum and is diagonally across Houston from the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

The new museum, being designed by Omniplan Architects, will be around 50,000 square feet, four times the museum's current size, and will be able to accommodate more than 200,000 visitors a year.

Among the features to be showcased at the new museum will be new exhibit galleries on human rights and American ideals, interactive content and technology, an original boxcar used by the Nazis to transport Jews and others during the Holocaust, a 250-seat theater, new classrooms, an expanded library and archive, and a special reflection and memorial area for visitors.

The museum is in the middle of the campaign to raise funds for the new location. So far, it has raised more than $43 million of the expected $61 million budget. Construction will begin when the goal is reached, with officials expecting the project to take around two years.

The museum, started by a group of local survivors to preserve the memory of what they had endured, was originally named the Holocaust Memorial Center and located in the basement of the Jewish Community Center building on Northaven Road in North Dallas. In 2005, the renamed Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance opened at its current location.

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Animal News

Dallas animal shelter invites residents to host a pet during holiday

DAS

Husky at Dallas Animal Services

Dallas Animal Services (DAS) is inviting the community to help bring pets “Home for the Holidays” by adopting or fostering during one of the shelter’s busiest times of the year.

DAS has achieved strong positive outcomes this quarter, including adoptions, foster-to-adopt placements, and underage foster placements, with 1,377 in October and 1,378 in November. The department is now working toward a December goal of 1,400 positive outcomes, with 588 completed so far this month.

“We are grateful for the support our community continues to show,” said Victoria Chittam Bennett, Assistant Director. “Every adoption opens a kennel for another pet in need, and the holidays are an especially meaningful time to welcome a new companion.”

This season, adopters will also have the chance to participate in the Friends of Dallas Animal Services (FODAS) 12 Days of Holiday Giveaways, fully funded and supported through donations from generous community supporters. For more information about this initiative, visit friendsofdas.org and watch out for announcements on social media.

Holiday staycations
Residents who may not be ready to adopt can still support DAS pets by participating in Silent Night Holiday Staycations, a short-term foster opportunity that gives dogs a relaxing break from the shelter during the holiday period.

Pickup dates are scheduled for December 20-21, with drop-off options on December 27-28 or January 3-4. Participants typically spend 1-3 hours at the shelter selecting a foster match, and contact with pets outside the home should be limited. Questions may be directed to DASFtA@dallas.gov.

“Holiday Staycations allow our dogs to decompress and show their personalities in a home environment,” said Amanda Earl, Assistant Director. “The insight we receive from these foster stays is invaluable in helping pets find permanent homes.”

DAS encourages the community to adopt, foster, volunteer, or share adoptable pets to help meet December’s lifesaving goals.
“Together, we can bring home the holidays for the pets relying on us,” said Director Paul Ramon.

For more information on adoptable pets, holiday programs, or ways to get involved, visit https://bedallas90.org/ or stop by the DAS Shelter at 1818 N. Westmoreland Rd.

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