Project will draw Visitors to Brownwood

Railroad museum takes shape
Brownwood officials excited about facility

By Celinda Emison / Reporter-News Staff Writer
January 26, 2005

BROWNWOOD - The wheels were officially set in motion Tuesday for the construction of the Martin and Frances Lehnis Railroad Museum.

Officials from the Texas Department of Transportation, the city of Brownwood and representatives of the Lehnis family attended the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday afternoon.

''This will be one of the great projects of our community,'' said Brownwood Mayor Bert Massey.

The 18,800-square-foot museum, estimated to cost almost $2 million, will include a display area for a Pullman car, caboose and train depot from the town of Kress.

Like the Frontier Texas! visitors center in Abilene, the Martin and Frances Lehnis Railroad Museum received federal funds through the Transportation Enhancement Act. The funds are distributed through the Texas Department of Transportation, which approved a grant for $1.8 million in 2003 for the project.

Under the grant program, the city must provide $180,000 in local funds to pay the rest of the construction costs. Construction will take about one year, said City Manager Gary Butts on Tuesday.

Although the grant was awarded almost two years ago, there have been some delays in getting the project rolling due to bids coming in about $400,000 over budget last spring.

''We trimmed the project and the city will be doing some in-kind work, so that brought the costs back down,'' Butts said. ''This enabled us to get the project off the ground.''

Halff and Associates of Dallas is the architectural firm and Waldrop Construction of Brownwood will be the contractor for the project.

The Lehnis Museum is part of a larger project in Brownwood called The Great State of Texas Historical Transportation Complex. Butts said the Lehnis Museum must be fully operational before the city completes the rest of the project. Total cost for the project has been estimated at $11.9 million.

The items are owned by Martin Lehnis, 89, of Early. The items for the museum comprise a lifelong collection of railroad memorabilia by Martin and his wife, Frances, who died in November.

Marilyn Lehnis of San Antonio, daughter-in-law of Martin Lehnis, said the family is very happy to see the project under way.

''It was their dream to have this museum. ...,'' she said.

The city has cleared the lot at Depot and Washington streets, about a block north of the Depot Civic and Cultural Center, for museum construction.

Contact Brownwood Staff Writer Celinda Emison at (915) 641-8804 or emisonc@reporternews.com.

source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_3498269,00.html