The NC History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction, in Fayetteville's Arsenal Park, 801 Arsenal Ave., invites you to be a part of the Center - forever.

On Tuesday, March 31, there will be a topping-off ceremony, as the final steel beam will be hoisted into place atop the building by Balfour Beatty LLC, the construction company that is building the 60,000-square foot building which will house the Center.

Beforehand, everyone is invited to sign the beam that will be installed atop the steel framework that will make up the Center.

The festivities begin at 10:30 a.m, when the first guests arrive and begin signing the beam. Time has been set aside for welcoming remarks and the beam is expected be put into place at about 11:30 a.m. After, there will be time to take pictures.

Parking will be available on Myrover Street and at 824 Branson St.

This latest project will be the last of three planned phases of the full Center. The first was the three-building VanStory History Village, the second was an outdoor pavilion and classroom, and in this, the third and final stage, a 60,000 square foot main building is being built. A groundbreaking ceremony was held marking the beginning of the building's construction last July.

Once complete, the building will house classrooms, an auditorium, state-of-the-art interactive exhibits and galleries to host traveling exhibits. At that time, the Center will be turned over to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, where it will join the state's museums division.

 

While this is a significant milestone in the construction project, much remains to be done, from fitting out the interior - to include floors, walls, ceilings, electrical outlets, lighting and plumbing fixtures, to installing exhibits. There's a lot of work left to do.

Opening is expected in the spring of 2028. The Museum will open its doors to a place that will benefit all North Carolinians from its home in Fayetteville, a place that will help us learn how to build, for all of us, a more perfect Union.