Facilities
The Layland Museum is comprised of multiple buildings located on Caddo St. and Main St. in downtown Cleburne. The museum’s gallery is located in the Carnegie Library building. The Smith History Center holds the research library and kitchen classroom. The Gathering Room is where many of the museum’s public programs take place.
The Carnegie Library building houses the museum’s gallery and office spaces.
History
In 1900, the Women’s Club of Cleburne contacted steel industrialist Andrew Carnegie for assistance in building a library for the community. Carnegie, a champion of libraries, contributed $20,000 to the project, which the community then matched. The building opened on May 25th, 1905.
The building is a Greek Revival style that was popular in the era. The front entrance and main room feature ionic columns with ornamental necking. There are various styles of plaster decorate both interior and exterior features. The structure is largely unchanged from its original construction, though interior furnishings and finishes were changed through the years to match the latest trend. The restoration of the building to its original state is ongoing.
The Smith History Center serves as the museum’s support facility and annex. Its interior is divided into curatorial services, artifact storage, Armadillo Room with teaching kitchen for classes and demonstrations, and the Gillespie Research Library. The Armadillo Room and Gillespie Library are open only during scheduled programs or by appointment and are not available to rent.
Visible through the showroom windows on Main Street, a Sidewalk Exhibit of period vehicles, related objects, and neon lighting is a tribute to the building’s past as an automobile dealership.
History
The 1914 commercial building at 200 N. Main Street in downtown Cleburne was originally a grocery store. For many years it served as automobile dealerships. In 1994, the Layland Museum acquired the ideally located structure for future development. Rehabilitation, completed in the summer of 2010, returned the building’s exterior to its early 20th century appearance.
Located at 208 N. Main, the Gathering Room is where many of the events and classes that the museum presents take place.
This room is also available to rent.
- 4 hours- $100 deposit and $100 fee
- 8 hours-$200 deposit and $200 fee
Room holds 50 people seated at tables and 80 seated or standing.
History
The space was originally part of the Snowflake Dairy, which at one time took up much of this block.
For questions regarding event reservations and facility rentals, contact Christy Morton at [email protected]