Louis, Memphis, Evansville, and dozens of rural counties more convenient. Union City and Discovery Park sit near the halfway point between these destinations, and the potential tourism catalyzed by the eventuality of a major roadway was taken into consideration when choosing the site of the park, as it would make day trips from St. The future interstate is meant to connect Canada to Mexico through Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan. The site sits directly adjacent to the future Interstate 69 corridor and will be connected by exits immediately North and South of the park. In addition to the main building, Richie Smith Landscape Architects of Memphis, Tennessee was hired to design the 50-acre heritage park surrounding the central museum, which includes two small lakes connected by a moat and a terraced series of weirs. Construction continued for nearly three years. Kirkland instructed the teams, "design a building that will stop traffic at 70mph." The building also had to include an observation tower and a grand hall. Lou Sirianni of Verner Johnson Museum Architects was selected to design the main building, while Tom Henness of Thinc Design would oversee the design of the exhibits and gallery spaces. The three firms made a joint pitch to Discovery Park of America which resulted in a contract in January 2010, and construction resumed on the project in December. After hearing of Cardinal's dismissal, Cederquest contacted his colleagues at Verner Johnson Museum Architects of Boston and Thinc Design of New York City to persuade them to collaborate with him on the project. Months earlier, Obion County Museum board-member Polly Brasher, who by then was working as the Discovery Park of America Founding Director, had met Kurt Cederquest of Maltbie Exhibit Fabricators at a trade show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and mentioned the project. However, on July 8, 2009, Kirkland terminated Douglas Cardinal and construction was halted as the search began for a new architect. At this time, the park was set for completion in 2010. Kirkland chose the name Discovery Park of America for the new facility, and asked his lifelong friend and another local businessman, Jim Rippy, to volunteer and serve as chairman of the newly developed Discovery Park of America board of directors.Īllen Searcy Building Contractors was hired as the principal construction contractor and a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Jin a soybean field on the northwest edge of Union City. Thirteen of these committees were responsible for the development of the galleries and exhibits within the museum, while five were responsible for the commercial aspects, such as accounting and marketing. The Vision Team wished for the community to be involved in the project and designated eighteen committees, composed primarily of local volunteers. The secrecy of the meetings was to assure that if the idea proved unfeasible, the general public would not be disappointed.Īfter the Vision Team made its initial plans, Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal was selected to design the new facility as well as its exhibits. Kirkland met secretly with local businessman Jack Hudgens and Obion County Museum board members Larry Mink and Polly Brasher at the Obion County Library to form a Vision Team. (the parent company of Kirkland's) in order to concentrate on local philanthropy. Kirkland, had recently sold their portion of CBK, Ltd. Kirkland, a local businessman known for cofounding the Kirkland's chain of home decor stores, approached the Obion County Museum board about the possibility of building a larger facility in Union City. The Obion County Museum was operated entirely by volunteers for 40 years. It features exhibits and activities on local history, nature, military history, art and science.ĭiscovery Park of America was preceded by the Obion County Museum, which was founded in 1970 and housed the historical collections of the McNatt and Harmon families of Obion County, Tennessee. The park sits on 50 acres (20 ha) of land off of Everett Boulevard, near U.S. Discovery Park of AmericaĨ30 Everett Blvd., Union City, Tennessee 38261ĭiscovery Park of America is a museum and heritage park located just outside the boundary of Union City, Tennessee.
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