Eleven years ago, a “topping out” celebratory lunch was held for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights attraction in downtown Atlanta. The Sept. 20, 2013, event provided an under-construction preview of the Center that would open nine months later.
There was a bit of deja-vu feeling on Aug. 29 when a “topping out” ceremony was held for the two-wing expansion now under construction. The half-way milestone marked the completion of the structural framework for both the East Wing (7,195 square feet) and the West Wing (21,790 square feet) of the Center. The expanded facility will broaden its offerings to civil and human rights education.
A special part of the event included donors and dignitaries signing a concrete beam to mark the occasion.
The Center will remain open for visitors until January. Then it will close for about nine months so the existing Center can undergo significant renovations. A major focus of the renovation will be to provide immersive, educational experiences for visitors of all ages.
“It is a landmark in Atlanta,” said Les Juneau, president of Juneau Construction Co., which is building the expansion. “This is not about building a building. It’s not about the construction itself. It’s about everything that happens within those walls.”
The 2024 “topping out” celebratory lunch took place in the area that will house three classrooms once the Center reopens about a year from now.
“I’m thrilled beyond measure,” said Richard Deane, a Jones Day attorney who serves on NCCHR’s board. “We are on budget. And we are on time.”
Jill Savitt, who serves as NCCHR’s CEO, is most excited about the new Family Gallery for children under 12. It will lead children on an imaginative journey where young people will be encouraged to become change agents to make our world a better place.
“While we are closed, we are going to take our programs out in the community,” Savitt said. “We want to take these activities out to schools and see if they’ll work for kids. We also want to create new audiences for the Center. We want to make the whole Center become a hub where people will come to visit.”
All but $4 million has been raised to establish $56.6 million expansion. Savitt will be meeting with potential donors this fall to help close that gap. The Center also will be applying for a new round of funding from the New Market Tax Credits.
When the Center opens its two expanded wings, visitors will be able to experience a redesigned gallery to display papers and artifacts from the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. A new cafe also will provide visitors with a place where they can reflect on what they learned during their visit.
Les Juneau said he was having to pinch himself that the firm he and his wife Nancy own has been entrusted with such an important cultural landmark in Atlanta. Nancy, who was able to attend the event, is CEO of the firm, which is a woman-owned enterprise.
“Everyone is asking: ‘Where’s Nancy?’” Les Juneau said during an interview about working for his wife. “My ego has been checked at the door a long time ago.”
Actually, the two met over 30 years ago in Tampa when working for the same contractor. Nancy wanted to return to Atlanta where she grew up. Les, who calls himself a Cajun immigrant from Louisiana, “chased” Nancy to Atlanta in 1993, and they have been here ever since. They started Juneau Construction in 1997, and now it’s one of the leading commercial contractors in the Southeast.
“We are honored to play a role in the growth and evolution of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights,” Nancy Juneau said in a statement. “Our Trade Partner Appreciation ceremony represents more than just a construction milestone; it’s a significant step forward in the Center’s mission to inspire, change and educate future generations. We are immensely proud of the work we’re doing alongside our remarkable partners and the Center and of the lasting impact it will have on our city, our country, and the world for generations to come.”
