Tarrant County commissioners have approved a contract to reimburse the National Juneteenth Museum $2 million for construction.

The museum will be in Fort Worth’s Historic Southside neighborhood at Evans Avenue and East Rosedale Street. The 50,000-square-foot building will contain 10,000 square feet of immersive exhibition galleries, a 250-seat theater, a co-working space and a retail space for minority and women owned businesses.

Construction is expected to break ground in 2023, with an opening planned for June 19, 2025.

The museum will host exhibits, discussions and events about the significance of the African-American path to freedom and is an extension of the legacy of Fort Worth activist Opal Lee, who is described as the “grandmother of Juneteenth.”

Jarred Howard, an executive with Sable Brands, the developer of the museum, said they are excited to partner with the county on a project like this. Commissioners approved the contract during their meeting on Tuesday.

“This is going to have implications citywide, countywide and beyond,” Howard said. “We’re always excited when the county sees the value.”

Howard said the museum has gotten about $21 million committed of their $70 million goal. The city pledged $15 million to the museum in September.

“We’re getting donations from philanthropic organizations, corporate partners, individuals and everybody in between,” Howard said. “Without regard to what we think, the public clearly thinks that it’s worthy of their funding support, because we’re getting it from a myriad of sources.

“We’re getting them from a little Timmy Tucker all the way to multibillion dollar corporations like PepsiCo.”

The county believes the investment will bring economic development and investments to the area, provide increased educational opportunities, and will serve as a direct public service and good for Tarrant County, according to the contract.

This story contains information from Star-Telegram archives.