Sugar Land to transform part of Imperial Sugar's refinery into museum, visitor center

Center expected to open by end of 2017

SUGAR LAND – The city of Sugar Land is transforming a warehouse into a museum and visitor center to showcase the city’s history and to highlight its expanding tourist attractions.

The city is partnering with the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation on the project, and it recently awarded a contract for the renovation of a warehouse that was once part of Imperial Sugar's refinery operation.

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"The construction that will soon begin at the container warehouse marks an important milestone of a lengthy journey to open the doors of a museum and welcome our community to explore the history of our great city," said City Manager Allen Bogard.

The center will be on the second floor of the warehouse and will be within the planned Imperial Market, an area designed for entertainment, upscale shopping, restaurants and office space.

Bogard said the new center is a solution to the problem of what to do with the warehouse after Imperial Sugar shut down its refinery operation in Sugar Land many years ago.

“A large part of our community worried about what would become of the most iconic structures in our city.  As long as anyone can remember, the Char House, the water tower and many of the structures on this site - including the container warehouse - have been important landmarks that have represented the special history of our city,” said Bogard.

"It has been our goal to not only ensure the preservation of these important structures, but also create a museum documenting the diversity of Sugar Land's history."

Construction of the Sugar Land Heritage Museum and Visitor Center is slated to begin soon. It is projected to attract more than 120,000 visitors each year and is expected to open by the end of the year.

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