by Aaron Neathery
Daily Cougar staffOn Sunday, the doors of the Holocaust Museum Houston will open to the public.
This new addition to the Houston Museum District is a multi-wing complex that houses, among other things, a permanent gallery, a 100-seat theater, an extensive library and resource center, classrooms, an archives repository and a memorial sculpture garden.
The Museum, designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates Inc. and local architect Mark Mucasey, is an imposing structure, comprising an entire city block. At times, the stark surroundings make the Museum seem like a receptacle for the terrors of the Nazi persecution of the Jews.
When the visitor first tours the permanent exhibit, a historical overview of the Holocaust is told in photos, film and text. After the exhibit, one can visit either the Memorial Room or the Changing Exhibit Room, which will be changed up to four times a year. On display in the Gallery for the opening will be the works of Holocaust survivor Alice Lok Cahana. The exhibit will remain until June.
The thoughtfully conceived Holocaust Museum Houston is needed now more than ever in an age where the very existence of the Jewish Holocaust is often brought into question. This is an immeasurably valuable addition to Houston.
Holocaust Museum Houston is located at 5401 Caroline St., in the Museum District. The ribbon cutting will occur at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Regular hours will be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Holocaust Museum Houston is free of charge and open to the general community. For more information, call (713) 942-8000.