The newly renamed Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum now has space to breathe. It debuts to the public Sept. 18 in a 55,000-square-foot building that is five times larger than its previous location.
The expansion allows the museum to focus not only on the mass murder of Jews during World War II but also on genocides around the world and human rights struggles in the United States.
Along with new technology throughout the museum, there are several highlights not to miss. One is the Dimensions in Testimony Theater. Designed by David Korins, who also designed the set for the blockbuster musical Hamilton, the theater combines recordings, voice activation and holographic imagery to create an interactive, 3D experience between visitors and Holocaust survivors. Included is a holographic image of Max Glauben, a survivor who lives in Dallas and helped found the museum.
Another highlight is the 10 Stages of Genocide Gallery. This gallery looks at how genocide starts and evolves through 10 modern genocides (Rwanda, Cambodia and Bosnia, to name a few). It features floor-to-ceiling sculptures that are original works of art. One exhibit on the mass murder of Tutsis by the Hutus in Rwanda includes machetes and victims' racial ID cards.
In the section that focuses on the United States, there's the Beyond Tolerance Theater. Here, visitors can check their own unconscious biases by comparing judgment calls with others and seeing the answers displayed in an interactive theater setting.
One noteworthy Holocaust exhibit is a restored Nazi-era boxcar, acquired by local Holocaust survivors in 1984 and restored for display in the new museum. The Dallas museum is the first one to house an authentic railcar in the United States. The windowless cars carried Jews to their deaths, and here, visitors exit the car to view the "Killing Center," an exhibit on six death camps.
There's lots more — including classrooms, a library/archives section, a courtyard featuring a James Surls sculpture and a memorial/reflection room — in the three-story museum that hopes to serve at least 200,000 visitors a year, more than double the previous figure.
If you go
Address: 300 N. Houston St.
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Admission: $16 for adults; $14 for seniors, military, educators and visitors with disabilities; $12 for students (The museum is not recommended for children younger than 12.)
Parking: Available in museum garage on Houston Street at $4 per hour with $12 maximum
Website: dhhrm.org
Phone: 214-741-7500
