Briscoe Center for American History Reopens After Renovation

AUSTIN, Texas - The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin has reopened its public spaces after a comprehensive 18-month renovation. The center, which had not undergone a significant redesign since the 1970s, now boasts 4,000 square feet of new exhibit space, an updated and expanded Reading Room, and two new meeting rooms. Inaugural exhibits include, 'Exploring the American South,' which displays highlights from the center's extensive collections documenting Southern history. 'The Briscoe Center's core mission is to support research on campus and to foster exploration of our nation's past through collecting, preserving and sharing historical evidence,' said Don Carleton, executive director of the Briscoe Center. 'Our newly renovated public spaces will greatly enhance this mission: scholars, students and members of the public can now perform research in the new Reading Room, classes and programs will convene in the meeting rooms, and historical exhibits spaces will showcase treasures from the center's outstanding collections.' Austin-based McKinney York Architects led the Briscoe Center's renovation, which included doubling the size of the Reading Room, creating new meeting and exhibit spaces, and orienting the center's entry toward the LBJ Presidential Library, which attracts tens of thousands of history-minded visitors each year. The center's public services are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday.