National Bible Museum

[tamtagon]

This is a rumor about an entirely different museum - National Bible Museum. Until confirmed or whatever, it'll be tacked onto this thread-o-rumor.

Wouldn't it be a hoot for both of these end up being for reals and built in Dallas!


http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/03/glory_be_dallas_to_house_a_nat.php#more

Glory Be: Dallas to House a "National Bible Museum"
By Jim Schutze, Monday, Mar. 22 2010

​Very strange thing going on right now in New York and Europe about a "National Bible Museum" to be created in Dallas -- strange in that there has been no mention here in the city's only daily newspaper. But people elsewhere seem to know all about it.

The National Bible Museum, as it has been described to me, would be the size of 10 football fields and is supposed to be built somewhere near downtown Dallas.

The June 2008 date on this blog suggests the National Bible Museum has been flying under our radar for a while:


http://blog.bibleplaces.com/2008/06/national-bible-museum-to-be-built.html

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

National Bible Museum to be built

...A Cornerstone [Grand Rapids, Michigan] history professor is working to create a first-of-its-kind Bible museum in Dallas, Texas, to house thousands of artifacts relating to the Bible and provide education.

Scott Carroll, professor of history, has been working with donors and others in academia to create the National Bible Museum to house the largest collection of artifacts about the Bible.

The goal of this museum is to become “the Smithsonian of biblical antiquities,” he said. "To get the same experience now someone would have to travel across the world.”

For the past five years, Carroll, and historian, Jonathan Shipman, have been conceptualizing and raising money for the project.
...
“We are in the final stages of acquiring a 900,000-square-foot facility that sits on 22 acres in downtown Dallas,” said Carroll.

The building will cost $300 million and is being paid for by a family that Carroll is working with, whose name he declined to disclose.
...
Carroll will serve as chief executive officer of the museum with duties to include “making sure the museum stays true to its vision, overseeing development of the collection, continuing research and speaking and resuming an excavation in Egypt.”

Both the FAR Museum and the National Bible Museum claim activity in Egypt - a natural dealio since both organizations are going after very old documents that are likely to have been in Egypt once upon a time - and that's kinda intriguing. As well, both rumors mention the construction of replicas of ancient temples/monuments.

I wonder if these are the same.....

[gc]

fascinating....near DTD? Cedars?

[vman]

Could be something around Farmer's Market. It doesn't sound like anything I'ld ever visit, but I would welcome most any project that brings more visitors to and/or around DTD.

[jredallas]

“We are in the final stages of acquiring a 900,000-square-foot facility that sits on 22 acres in downtown Dallas,” said Carroll.
There can't be too many places that fit that description in DTD.

[gshelton91]

Market Hall?

[tamtagon]

from facebook march 27:


Scott Carroll writes, "Just acquired the earliest book of Psalms in the world! It's written on papyrus and dates to the 2nd c! In falls meeting with donnors and property! Fun times. : - ) ... We are trying to secure property, building a donor base and getting ready to hire key personel. The collection is mind-boggling and growiing; one of the finest in the world! There will be a press release in the NY Times and worldwide this week."

[dfwcre8tive]

Hobby Lobby parent company shopping for Bible museum site in Dallas
01:16 PM CDT on Monday, March 29, 2010
By MATTHEW HAAG / The Dallas Morning News
mhaag@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/033010dnmetbiblemuseum.1f66b9a2a.html

An Oklahoma-based arts-and-crafts store chain announced this morning that it has acquired various rare Bibles, religious scrolls and centuries-old manuscripts to house at a new museum, possibly in Dallas.

Privately held Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. said it was looking for property in Dallas, possibly as many as 7 acres, to start the National Bible Museum. The museum would display some of the earliest Bibles, the family said, and provide educational programs for the public and schools.

“We are committed to preserving the history of our faith and excited about the opportunity to share our collection with others through the development of the National Bible Museum,” Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby, said. “Our goal is to acquire a site in a major metropolitan area that will allow visitors from around the world to enjoy the collections housed in the museum and participate in special educational programs."

...

[RobertB]

The early posts sound like a typical blue-sky proposal, with someone with a vision but not much else. "The Smithsonian of biblical antiquities"? I think anyone who would actually have the ability to make such a thing happen would have the humility to tone down their rhetoric. Despite the actions of some folks, humility is an important Biblical principle. Yesterday was Palm Sunday, when Christ came into town not on a fiery steed surrounded by soldiers, but on a borrowed donkey, surrounded by people waving branches they grabbed from the nearby trees.

But with Hobby Lobby involved, the credibility level goes up significantly. They know a thing or two about the intricacies of property acquisition and management. I'm not holding my breath, but I wouldn't be surprised if the project comes off. The only thing that surprises me is that Hobby Lobby (which also has several Martel's Christian bookstores in the area) isn't talking about hosting the collection in Tulsa or Oklahoma City. Perhaps they see a spiritual need in Dallas, or maybe there's just more folks here visiting Six Flags.

As for the location... well, I think the 2008 claims of 900k square feet on 22 acres near Downtown can be largely dismissed. The only place I can imagine of that size would have been the refrigerated storage facility on Industrial (now known as Riverbed Blvd) that burned down (wasn't that last year?). The Hobby Lobby article doesn't mention any particular part of town, so I wouldn't even expect it to be in the Dallas city limits -- if I were going to cast lots, I'd put my denarii on a Collin County location.

[AeroD]

But with Hobby Lobby involved, the credibility level goes up significantly. They know a thing or two about the intricacies of property acquisition and management. I'm not holding my breath, but I wouldn't be surprised if the project comes off. The only thing that surprises me is that Hobby Lobby (which also has several Martel's Christian bookstores in the area) isn't talking about hosting the collection in Tulsa or Oklahoma City. Perhaps they see a spiritual need in Dallas, or maybe there's just more folks here visiting Six Flags.
.

We have the airport(s).

[AeroD]

Apparently two years ago, the museum folks were interested in the Reunion Arena site. So maybe downtown is were they want to be which means that the Dallas Convention Center Hotel is going to be saved from financial ruin by Jesus himself.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/03/cross_stitch_yes_indeed_hobby.php

[gshelton91]

/\ Now that is funny --

Really i am surprised that they don't want to build their own building --- I would want it along the freeway ring around Downtown so that it is visible. On the West side they would be able to take advantage of the Holocaust Museum and the 6th Floor Museum tourist.

[TexasStar]

I'd never go there, but when it comes to downtown development, anything added to the pot is all good.

[gshelton91]

I would go assuming it is truly an academic type institution and not slanted toward any one religion's interpretation of the King James Bible --- as supported by select historical text.

Lots of religious controversies would be interesting to explore via actual historical documents including purported translation errors in the King James.

[RobertB]

Actually, just last night on PBS there was a fascinating show that told the history of the translation of the Bible into English -- an effort that involved kings, queens, popes, and a lot of people getting burned at the stake for the "heresy" of giving the Bible to *everyone*, not just the priests. It showed how making the Bible available in the language people understand democratized faith -- and was therefore a threat to those in power.

That's a history worth telling, even if your faith doesn't involve the Christian Bible. Especially when you consider the way some powerful preachers fetishize the King James Version -- they're taking on the role of the heretic-burners who demanded that the Bible only exist in Latin.

[Lakewooder]

Isn't the old Shriner's building and what's the other one (name escapes me for now) around there for sale - near Farmer's Market - seems like a good spot to me with church-like atmosphere and they could build on -- why do they need 7 acres? Sounds like a suburban campus idea...

[CDallas]

I only want this if they build a Casino next door.

[JohnMcKee]

I would go assuming it is truly an academic type institution and not slanted toward any one religion's interpretation of the King James Bible --- as supported by select historical text.

Lots of religious controversies would be interesting to explore via actual historical documents including purported translation errors in the King James.

I completely agree. The history of religion and religious texts is fascinating on an academic level. While I do not subscribe to a particular faith, I do find their texts and their history to be fascinating as do a lot of people.

I really hope this is turns out to be an secular and academic endeavor and not a evangelical theme park bent on selling a historically and academically inaccurate or unsubstantiated narrative for religious purposes, particularly when it would hold such valuable texts.

Hopefully people of all faiths as well as atheists and agnostics will feel comfortable visiting the museum and leave with a better understanding of the history of modern Christianity, not feeling as if they have been preached too.

[AeroD]

If this museum is going to be as big as some are reporting to be, I can imagine people from all over are going to want to see this. There are plenty of hotels and rail options downtown. The Dallas CCH surely could use a steady stream of customers. There is plenty of land in the Cedars.

Maybe they want 7 acres to include a center for research and green space.

If I was Leppert I would start telling those folks about his thing for Michael W. Smith.

Now would this museum be exempt from property taxes?

[TheMapman]

Glad Schutze found something new to shit on...

[tamtagon]

Glad Schutze found something new to shit on...

hahahaha

Put it in University Park.

[RobertB]

Well, don't forget that there's already a Biblical-themed museum near the Park Cities -- the Museum of Biblical Art (http://biblicalarts.org/) is set to reopen tomorrow (Good Friday), starting from scratch from the devastating fire in 2005 (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-biblicalart_01met.ART.East.Edition1.4c586ff.html).

I'm curious about how the two museums would work together -- I suppose they have different points of focus, with the MoBA dealing with visual expressions of faith, with the proposed museum dealing with the written word (or I guess that should be, "written Word").

By the way, I don't know if the suggestion that the Bible museum be non-religious is either realistic or even desirable. I suppose it's possible to look at the Bible as a mythology on the level of the ancient Greek gods... but whether you believe or not, the book is the foundation of the primary faiths in this hemisphere. Any attempt to separate the scholarly aspects from the religious interpretations would be a denial of the context in which the book must be considered.

[AeroD]

By the way, I don't know if the suggestion that the Bible museum be non-religious is either realistic or even desirable. I suppose it's possible to look at the Bible as a mythology on the level of the ancient Greek gods... but whether you believe or not, the book is the foundation of the primary faiths in this hemisphere. Any attempt to separate the scholarly aspects from the religious interpretations would be a denial of the context in which the book must be considered.

I guess what some people are concerned about is that place could be something like Creationist Museum, where you see kids riding Velociraptors.

You do not have to believe what's in the Bible, but surely people do understand the impact it has had on humanity. I think that is what people mean that they want it to be secular. Sure, theology can be discussed, but so will the real-world use of the Bible, positive and negative, are also discussed.

[Phillip]

Only in the buckle of the Bible belt would this place be built. If it's sponsored by Hobby Lobby, you can expect some evangelizing -- on Easter Sunday, the company bought lots of ad space in newspapers around the country to explain the true, Christian meaning of Easter.

[gshelton91]

Yes i would not suggest it be non-religious but if they are going to collect these very old bits of text I would hope that they will actually use them... And be expansive to include the texts not included in the current bible.

[dfwcre8tive]

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/04/hobby_lobby_would_like_bible_m.php


Green said Dallas is the top of museum leaders' list of possible sites.

"That doesn't mean that if another great location in another metro area came up, we wouldn't look at it, though I think it needs to be one of the larger metro areas in the country, and I think they would agree as well," Green said.

DLCNIZ3z_vk

[tamtagon]

This was posted on Facebook:


Success in Jerusalem--got 7 more unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls (more coming), and tons of other stuff researched some 1-3c silver and gold amulets of great importance with a colleague at Hebrew University. Spent time with a student, too. NOW, off to London for a day to see some manuscripts at Christie's and to pick-up a Gutenberg Bible to carry back to the museum. Now that's a carry-on!!

The list of religious artifacts these folks have stated they now own is more than impressive. This would be a HUGE coup for Dallas tourism.

[Dbadger]

How about the Dallas Masonic Temple at 507 S Harwood.
It is a beautiful building, built in 1941, Downtown and quite appropriate I think.
It is vaccant, and It was mentioned owners were trying to sell it a few months ago.
as part of the 508 Park grouping.
I think Sammons center was also looking at it.

[dfwcre8tive]

How about the Dallas Masonic Temple at 507 S Harwood.
It is a beautiful building, built in 1941, Downtown and quite appropriate I think.
It is vaccant, and It was mentioned owners were trying to sell it a few months ago.
as part of the 508 Park grouping.
I think Sammons center was also looking at it.

That would be a good option for a museum. There are several rooms in the building that could be turned to galleries, and building a connector between it and 508 would give that building a new use as well.

[SeriousSummer]

That would be a good option for a museum. There are several rooms in the building that could be turned to galleries, and building a connector between it and 508 would give that building a new use as well.

I toured the Masonic Temple a couple of weeks ago, and the building is certainly well set up to become a museum-type facility. I don't see a connector between it and 508 Park as very practical, however. The distance is too far and you come into the back door of 508 Park.

BTW: The Masonic Temple is still in use. The building is underutilized, but not empty.

[NThomas]

That would be a good option for a museum. There are several rooms in the building that could be turned to galleries, and building a connector between it and 508 would give that building a new use as well.
Wouldn't it also be on one of the proposed streetcar routes?

[vman]

I toured the Masonic Temple a couple of weeks ago, and the building is certainly well set up to become a museum-type facility. I don't see a connector between it and 508 Park as very practical, however. The distance is too far and you come into the back door of 508 Park.

BTW: The Masonic Temple is still in use. The building is underutilized, but not empty.
I guess I'm confused to which building is the Masonic Temple. Is it the ornate building with the pillars and statue out front, or is it the art deco building across the street?

[Dbadger]

^^
http://wikimapia.org/9048663/Dallas-Masonic-Temple

[tamtagon]

Masonic Temple would be a great building for this, but the Bible Museum plans a 300,000 sq ft space and the Masonic Temple doesn't have nearly that much....

http://christiantravelguy.com/blog/2010/04/hobby-lobby-and-the-national-bible-museum-2/


Hobby Lobby and the National Bible Museum Pt 2
April 27th, 2010 by Todd

...The recent reports on the Hobby Lobby/National Bible Museum part ner ship gave a few basic details on the venue, but I wanted to go a bit fur ther. Two points that got my atten tion were the pro posed size — 300,000 sq. ft. plus park ing — and the poten tial loca tion — Dal las, TX.
...
As to the size, here are some rel****e vant comparisons:

The Cincinnati-area Cre****ation Museum comes in at 70,000 sq. ft.
The recently opened NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC is 150,000 sq. ft.
The famous Field Museum in Chicago has 300,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space
...
If the museum winds up in Dallas, it would be a solid choice. As of the last Cen****sus Bureau update, it is the fourth-largest met ro politan area in the U.S. and is a city known for hav ing a strong religious base. The area is also home to the recently re-opened Museum of Bibli****cal Art and the smaller, unaffiliated Christian Arts Museum, as well as one of TBN’s International Pro****duction Centers which features several sights of interest to go along with its television studios.
...
The plan is for the National Bible Museum to be non-sectarian in nature, and it will do more than sim ply dis play the collection. Scott said “we plan to incorporate interactive learning opportunities into the museum. It will pro****vide an opportunity for research and exploration of the composition, trans****mission, and preservation of the Bible.”

[tamtagon]

Maybe the Bible Museum folks could be sold on using the Bulter Building ... http://dallasmetropolis.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5647

It's certainly got enough space, http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-southervay_09bus.ART0.State.Edition1.379f80d.html
"... the 510,000-square-foot, nine-story 500 South Ervay Building in its day was one of the most impressive commercial structures in Dallas." I guess this building could offer too much space, though, about 2/3s more than the museum says it needs. But, maybe, that would actually be a big benefit allowing museum operators the opportunity to expand and/or offer far more academic programs....

The city has previously offered $15 million or more to help various developers bring the building back into use, so I'm sure municipal incentives would be available.

The Bible Museum in the Butler Building furthers a handful of primary goals set for downtown Dallas, renewed activity on a strategically located derelict city block, a tourist attraction appealing to a world-wide audience, driver of downtown retail, entertainment and hotel activity.

Having a Bible Museum across the street from the city library could even give a new life to the city's main library branch. As the operators struggle to maintain usefulness and relevancy of public libraries to an area's residents, dedicating a new purpose of the city library as repository of historic books along the lines of The Library of Congress is a viable function. The city library can evolve the public use of Internet access into stronger research opportunities with a college computer lab atmosphere.

Revising and expanding the function of the main library branch in such a way would create an excellent neighbor for a Bible Museum.

[eirin]

If they're looking at more than one option for a metro location, maybe they should go with a place like Salt Lake City, or Birmingham. I think it'd be a very good fit.

[cowboyeagle05]

Plus some developer could sell them on a mixed use Butler plan maybe. They could attract some hotel interest being able to host events tied to the Museum proximity. As usual they could also attract either additional commercial leasable space for offices for companies who like the Christian angle of locating their business next to such holy items. Or residential space as another foray into the Mixed Use department. Most of all these concepts though would require a developer come in and work with the Museum to come up with a plan thats suitable for all parties.

[tamtagon]

There sure would be lots of possibilities with 200,000 sq ft of space beyond the 300,000 sq ft museum planners say they'll need. As the vision evolves, today I'm seeing much of the space not directly used for the Bible Museum as workspace/laboratory for relic restoration.

I think a fantastic cooperative could evolve among scientists and historians of the Bible Museum and Dallas based Heritage Auction.... hum, maybe.

Wherever this museum goes, it will probably rank as one of the state's most visited destinations.

[eastdallasson]

500 ervay is our best option? really? could be a tough sell. It is close to the library which i suppose is a plus but its also in one of the deadest areas of downtown. i'm not saying i wouldn't love to see something there but i dunno if the bible museum people would be down with an experiment in revitalization

[metrosteve]

Only a town as cornball as Dallas could get excited about something like this. The Buckle on the Bible Belt--ain't we proud--Gag. Whatever happened to being a (laugh outloud) WORLD CLASS CITY). OK come on and read me the riot act of being disloyal to the motherland--oops fatherland.

[NThomas]

Only a town as cornball as Dallas could get excited about something like this. The Buckle on the Bible Belt--ain't we proud--Gag. Whatever happened to being a (laugh outloud) WORLD CLASS CITY). OK come on and read me the riot act of being disloyal to the motherland--oops fatherland.
Who cares if it's a bible museum. Somebody could be looking to set up a "National Prostitution Museum" for all I care. As long as it brings in visitor's sales tax, I'm hoping it comes to DTD.

[tamtagon]

Only a town as cornball as Dallas could get excited about something like this.

hahahahahahaha

I, um, only like it because it's, like, all world class and stuff, just like Dallas.

I was just saying about the Butler Bldg. The Bible Museum would find a better partner in the forthcoming Presidential Library. Maybe the Methodists would like their university to take host duties for the Bible Museum.

[I45Tex]

Well, any construction site for it that is world class twentieth-century rationalist would set off our evangelization detectors, right? Let alone any downtown Washington location like the recent privately funded Newseum, although that would, collectionswise, be more natural.
Same for starchitecture -- if they try to shape public consciousness through subliminal appeal, it's underhanded and hypocritical (faithless of them, cynical of them), and if they ignore material and give the public a ho-hum streetwall then how telling and go figure, knew it took an unimaginative person to stick to that.
The Reunion Arena purchase would have been a good deal. No matter what Thom Maybe inspires, I would rather have seen the DMNS there, too, and focusing on its collections design, straining less for effect. Reunion Arena says that this group is willing to prefer to spend on major renovation v. the money lost in making a high-stakes brand new shell built to suit their notion of their legacy. It also suggests that they would bring the same inclination to their future space planning, and so would like 'extra' space already adjoining at a later date: 500 Ervay, at any rate, tamtagon, eastdallasson, should market itself to them. Downtown Fort Worth or Sundance Square itself probably will.
Me, I think they should have taken Texas Stadium.

[dfwcre8tive]

Holy National Bible Museum, Batman! What Does Hobby Lobby's Split With Rare Books Dealer Mean For Proposed Dallas Site?
By Jim Schutze, Mon., Aug. 23 2010 @ 5:17PM
Categories: Schutze
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/08/holy_national_bible_museum_bat.php

​Big sturm und drang going on in New York and Europe amongst book dealers dealing with the Green family in Oklahoma City regarding the collection I wrote about in March that was supposed to become a national bible museum here in Dallas.

So: Is it on, or is it off?

Last week the Green family -- the money behind Hobby Lobby stores and a whole lot of real estate across the nation -- sent out the following missive to book dealers around the world, making it sound as if Dallas could kiss the bible museum good-bye. Their e-mail -- dealing with Johnny Shipman, the Dallas guy who who had been buying millions of books for them as their agent -- read as follows:
"Please be advised that effective August 1, 2010, Mr. Johnny Shipman no longer represents the Green Collection, Mr. Steven T. Green or Dr. Scott Carroll, whether on behalf of the National Bible Museum or any other entity or organization.


"If you believe that you are currently in negotiations with Mr. Shipman on behalf of the Green Collection, Mr. Steven T. Green or Dr. Scott Carroll, we would kindly ask that you contact the undersigned at your earliest convenience so we might clear up any misunderstanding or miscommunication.

"The Green Collection is no longer collaborating with the National Bible Museum, though we continue to expand our collection to open a Bible museum in the near future. Your continued cooperation in this endeavor is greatly appreciated."
I can't reach Shipman -- sometimes known as a broker of rare books, sometimes known as Shipman's Fine Jewelry. All of his phone numbers are kaput.

But I did reach Scott Carroll, a respected scholar and curator and who was the brains behind the museum idea. He was in London. He said the split between the Greens and Shipman was a mutual agreement that does not effect plans by the Greens to find a home for their trove of early Judaeo-Christian treasures. Carroll told me Dallas is still under consideration.

But whatever the thing is, it doesn't sounds as if it will be called the National Bible Museum -- a name that may belong to Shipman.

At the end of the day, a spokesperson for the Greens confirmed all this as follows in an e-mailed letter. Marsha Bold of Hobby Lobby said in the letter:


"The Greens are no longer collaborating with the National Bible Museum and Mr. Johnny Shipman. To ensure those we have worked with and are working with in relation to the Green Collection and the Bible museum planned by the Greens are aware of the separation, we notified them in writing in August. This notice was mutually agreed upon by all parties involved.

"The Greens remain committed to expanding their collection of Biblical antiquities and to opening a Bible museum in the future. We are excited that Dr. Scott Carroll is continuing to work with us on this endeavor.

At this time, we are continuing to evaluate locations for the museum and will announce a location when one has been selected. As we announced previously, we are considering several metropolitan areas, including Dallas."


...

[tamtagon]

Google just showed me this interesting NYTimes article from June:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/business/12bibles.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2


Craft Shop Family Buys Up Ancient Bibles for Museum
By GERALDINE FABRIKANT
Published: June 11, 2010
...
The plans for the museum are quite ambitious. Dr. Carroll said the three were looking for 300,000 square feet of space and hoped to attract more than a million visitors a year.

Dallas is the first choice to house the collection, Mr. Green said, because of the large number of people of faith in the area. He also said that the many seminaries and universities in Dallas would welcome such a museum and it would benefit from their resources.

An offer on a former Macy’s store in a mall was rejected, but Mr. Green is continuing to look for a large property while temporarily storing his trove of treasures at the company’s warehouses.

The article mentions that the Hobby Lobby folks with all the money "are Pentecostal, but other family members worship in churches of other denominations, including Baptist and Assemblies of God."

Even though The University of Dallas is a 'Catholic University for Independent Thinkers,' I remembered that the campus was a finalist for the Pres. Bush Library, and offered a pretty nice setting in Irving with Trinity River woods. Even though the connection to the Dallas guy helping to buy the historical documents was ended, I'm wondering about the NYTimes mention of interest from North Texas seminaries and universities and whether or not UD would be a possibility for the Bible Museum. Isn't there still a popular TV Ministry broadcasting from Irving? Based on the NYTimes article, I'm also wondering if Criswell College in East Dallas has room for a museum intended to receive one million visitors a year.

[SeriousSummer]

I'm also wondering if Criswell College in East Dallas has room for a museum intended to receive one million visitors a year.

Nope, I'm pretty sure there is nothing approaching enough room there, and I know there isn't any parking for 3,000 visitors per day (not that I really believe the Bible Museum could draw quite that many people).

I think the site is going to be determined by just what kind of institution the people behind this have in mind--I can't tell whether it's a serious, academic-minded idea or meant to be evangelical in nature.

If the former, then a stand alone site (like the Masonic Lodge downtown) or an affiliation with a respected academic institution would make the most sense.

If it's meant to serve an evangelical purpose, then the grounds of one of the Mega-Churchs or a shopping center (like the Macy's site mentioned) makes more sense to me.

[dfwcre8tive]

An offer on a former Macy’s store in a mall was rejected, but Mr. Green is continuing to look for a large property while temporarily storing his trove of treasures at the company’s warehouses.[/INDENT]


Valley View Center? It's not a bad idea, locating in a high-traffic retail zone until there are enough funds/plans for a more permanent facility. Didn't the Dallas Children's Museum used to be located in a shopping mall?

[TheMapman]

Yep, it was Valley View.

[tamtagon]

From facebook:


.... Dallas is certainly the 1st choice but we are still considering NYC and DC. We should know shortly! I am also looking forward to the opportunity to work with you and your students! Take care~
September 30

[stangmrb]

Eyeing a national museum, a collector’s bibles hits the road

By Gabe LaMonica, CNN

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/05/eyeing-a-national-bible-museum-a-collector%E2%80%99s-bibles-hits-the-road/?hpt=C2


Green says he’s unsure of the location for his eventual museum but that he wants it to rely heavily on digitized Bibles, so that visitors and scholars can interact with them.
...no real update. Just FYI