The National Medal of Honor Museum is headed to Arlington.
Following a national search, the museum’s board of directors announced its decision Wednesday to build its future home in the city's growing entertainment district off Interstate 30. With the move, the board will also build a larger, more contemporary museum at the new site proposed to cost $150 million.
"Arlington, Texas is honored to be entrusted as the home of the National Medal of Honor Museum," Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, said in a statement.
The mayor and other local and state officials have lobbied hard in recent months for the new museum and their efforts paid off.
Arlington -- with the help of sports teams and well-heeled North Texas philanthropists -- was one of two finalists, along with Denver. But in the end, Arlington was considered the best location to build the state-of-the-art National Medal of Honor Museum, said Joe Daniels, president and CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, Wednesday.
"What it came down to we could not ignore the authenticity and depth of the patriotism and the love of country we felt in Arlington and all across Texas," Daniels said.
The first national museum of its kind would open to the public in 2024 and tell the story of the more than 3,500 recipients of the nation's highest award for valor.
The $150 million cost of building the new museum would come from corporate and private donations. Daniels expects about two-thirds of that money to come from the North Texas region.
The museum would benefit by its location to an area that already draws millions of tourists: close to the new Texas Rangers ballpark, Globe Life Field, set to open next year; AT&T Stadium, the current home of the Dallas Cowboys; and Six Flags Over Texas.
The district is also home to Texas Live!, the $250 million entertainment complex that debuted a year ago.
"All of us at the Museum were simply overwhelmed with the enthusiasm, warmth and level of commitment of those involved, who have worked beyond expectation to have the Museum come to Texas," Daniels said in a statement.
San Diego, New York City and Washington, D.C., were also in the hunt before the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation narrowed its list this summer.
More than 14 million people visit Arlington annually, Bruce Payne, Arlington’s economic development director, said in July. “These are people with a lot of leisure time, who are here to enjoy themselves,” Payne said.
Texas, in general, is a natural fit for the museum because of the state's large veteran population, said Daniels, who previously served as president and CEO of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum Foundation. Texas also hosts thousands of active-duty soldiers at Army posts, including Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, Fort Sam Houston, and several Air Force bases.
Seventy recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor have lived in the region and nearly 1.8 million veterans and active duty military currently call Texas home, museum officials said.
