Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert (from left in yellow), former House Rep. Helen Giddings, Harry Robinson Jr., founding president and CEO of the African American Museum of Dallas, and Lisa Brown Ross, president and CEO of the African American Museum, pose for a photo during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Dr. Harry Robinson Jr., founding president and CEO of the African American Museum of Dallas, looks at archival material in the Dr. Harry Robinson, Jr. Research and Archives Conservation Laboratory during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Restored flooring seen as audience members sit during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
President and CEO Lisa Brown Ross speaks during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
The Animal Kingdom exhibit with works by folk artist Isaac Smith on display during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Restored tile and wood flooring seen during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
The renovated auditorium during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Harry Robinson Jr., founding president and CEO of the African American Museum of Dallas, walks into the Dr. Harry Robinson, Jr. Research and Archives Conservation Laboratory during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
The Dr. Harry Robinson, Jr. Research and Archives Conservation Laboratory during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
(From left) Dr. Harry Robinson Jr., founding president and CEO of the African American Museum of Dallas, and Chief Programs Officer Margie J. Reese look towards the Dr. Harry Robinson, Jr. Research and Archives Conservation Laboratory during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
At Fair Park, neatly stacked boxes bearing Harry Robinson Jr.’s name lined shelves as archivists displayed pieces of the African American Museum’s collections held at the site.
An emotional Robinson, who founded the museum over 50 years ago, made his way around, taking in millions of dollars worth of renovations that come over a year after his retirement.
“I had hope that when I left here, that someone would come in and take it to a whole new level,” Robinson said. “It’s a whole new museum.”
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Dallas city leaders gathered at the building’s rotunda to celebrate improvements made possible by a $4 million grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, along with philanthropic investments. The improvements, which follow a recent three-month closure, include enhancements to the HVAC and boiler systems, along with upgrades to infrastructure, security and technology. New protections will safeguard archives from damage.
“There are major milestones that will help preserve this institution’s legacy while preparing for its future generations,” said council member Adam Bazaldua, who represents the South Dallas area.
Lisa Brown Ross (left), president and CEO of the African American Museum, and City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert share a laugh during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Dallas prepares Fair Park
The city’s park department began managing Fair Park in September, scrambling to transition and set up contracts for services like security and events after a tense split from its previous operator. Officials have pushed to activate the space, offering more entertainment for visitors.
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Leaders were not only celebrating renovations, which were done at “warp speed,” but a renewed commitment to culture, community and opportunity, said John Jenkins, the city’s park department director.
Related: Could Dallas’ Fair Park get a hotel, other amenities in plan to generate revenue?
“It is about momentum. It is about reinvestment, and it’s about bringing Fair Park back,” Jenkins said, adding, “Bringing Fair Park back is not about one project. It is about making sure every institution here succeeds together.”
With FIFA Fan Fest approaching, the museum will help tell the full story of the city’s history and communities that shaped it, Bazaldua said.
Visitors tour improvements
Jazz records sat stacked, along with shelves full of boxes and magazine collections, inside the cool, dry research lab named after Robinson. A glass window allows visitors to peek in.
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Margie Reese, the chief programs officer at the museum, guided visitors through a tour.
Related: ‘The house that Dr. Robinson built’: How one man’s vision changed Dallas
“This is a space that will make history come alive,” Reese said. “We say this museum is a place where history comes to live, so that now you’ll be able to access information.”
There is still programming, along with exhibits, that are being planned. Reese said people should have a space to learn about freedmen’s towns across Dallas.
On the museum’s basement level, workers were painting the walls as visitors walked around them. The museum is working to add a conservation lab, which will help to better document and preserve art pieces.
Renovations continue in a future conservation area during an event celebrating facility improvements, new partnerships and investments at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park, Thursday, May 28, 2026
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
The auditorium was upgraded for better accessibility, and the stage was rebuilt with new audio and lighting systems. Robinson looked at the newly replaced curtains, remembering when they were “terrible.” At the end of his tour, he felt speechless.
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“I can’t express it,” Robinson said. “Before, when you came down to this auditorium, it was almost like an embarrassment … Now, you can proudly bring anybody down here.”
The improvements, he hopes, will help inspire young people to work in museums and preserve African American history. Lisa Brown Ross, the museum’s new director, thanked Robinson for ensuring the museum’s existence during his tenure.
Related: Dallas civil rights leader Juanita Craft’s birthday celebrated at African American Museum
Ross similarly said a focus is on educating young people, whether it’s little kids learning about life’s possibilities or older students looking for a career path.
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“This museum is the cultural epicenter of Dallas, and the work we do here speaks to the sacred responsibility and task of protecting cultural memories and ensuring that our stories are positioned to educate, inspire, and shape generations to come,” Ross said. “We are carrying the memories and stories through the distance of time.”
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.