The remembrance of the Vietnam War has expanded at a fast pace at Texas Tech, and the Vietnam Center & Archive are rapidly outgrowing their current spaces and in need of a greatly enlarged new facility. The Texas Tech System Board of Regents has allocated 12 acres of land on the existing Texas Tech campus for this new building, which will enable the gathering of all aspects of the Center and Archive under one roof. As well, the creation of a world-class, 75,000-square-feet museum of the Vietnam War will portray the young men and women who served in Vietnam in an honorable and objective way. At the same time, the museum will critically examine all aspects of American policy in Vietnam. The facility must provide adequate storage and office space for a rapidly expanding archive, oral history project, Virtual Vietnam Archive and Vietnam Center Staff. Also important, the building will provide meeting facilities for Vietnam veteran groups to hold reunion meetings, facilitating Vietnam Center & Archive staff in displaying veteran group-specific artifacts that might not at that time be on display for the general public. Vietnam veterans will have an opportunity to critique the Texas Tech Vietnam War museum, and provide memories and other insights that will help the project staff to gather correct versions of individual stories. The new facility will attract even greater donations of artifacts and documents, making the planning of future space essential. The new Vietnam building will house an enlarged program of military and diplomatic history that will enable future Texas Tech students to study the causes, conduct and consequences of American wars in a systematic way. The facility, overall, will have about 191,000 square feet of floor space and adequate outdoor spaces for static display of major military artifacts, such as aircraft and military equipment. Those interested in participation towards the $50 million funding costs of the new facility are encouraged to contact Vietnam Center Director Dr. James Reckner at (806) 742-3742.

More Information: TTU Facilities Planning & Construction