About the Museum
Museum of Texas Tech University

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Texas Tech University

About the Museum

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General Information

Mission Statement

The Museum of Texas Tech University, as an education resource for a diverse audience, collects, researches, and disseminates information about the natural and cultural heritage of local and related regions.

Statement Of Purpose

Established in 1929, the Museum is an educational, scientific, cultural, and research element of Texas Tech University.   It is a not-for-profit institution by virtue of being a part of Texas Tech University.   The Museum's purpose is to support the academic and intellectual mission of Texas Tech University through the collection, preservation, documentation, and research of scientific and cultural material and to disseminate information about those collections and their scientific and cultural topics through exhibition, interpretation, and publication for primary, secondary, and higher education students, the scholarly community, and the general public.   The Museum aspires to provide the highest standard of excellence in museological ethics and practices, while pursuing continuous improvement, stimulating the greatest quantity of quality research, conservation, interpretation, exhibition, and education, and providing support for faculty, staff, and students.   The Museum is a multi-faceted institution that includes the main building, the Helen Devitt Jones Auditorium and Sculpture Court and Auditorium, Moody Planetarium, Natural Science Research Laboratory, Lubbock Lake Landmark, research acreage in Val Verde County, and the Center for Advanced Study of Museum Science and Heritage Management.

History of the Museum of TTU

The Museum was founded as the West Texas Museum in 1929, shortly after Texas Technological College was chartered in 1925. Dr. William Curry Holden served as its first director until 1969 when he retired. He oversaw the construction of the first building, which began as a basement only, through the completion of that facility, to the construction and occupation of the current buildings in 1970. Dr. Holden also identified the first Folsom projectile points from the Lubbock Lake area which became the Lubbock Lake Landmark, an internationally recognized center for studies of early man in the New World. In the 1990s the site was jointly operated by TTU and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department as Lubbock Lake Landmark State Historical Park. During that time, several new buildings were constructed including the Robert A. "Bob" Nash Interpretive Center and the Quaternary Research Center. In 1999, the state historical park was fully transferred to Texas Tech University under the supervision and care of the Museum of TTU, and returned to the name Lubbock Lake Landmark.

When the Museum moved into its present quarters at 3301 4th Street, the former, central-campus building was converted into classroom and office spaces and renamed Holden Hall. The newly relocated and reorganized museum was renamed the Museum of Texas Tech University and, shortly thereafter, the Natural Science Research Laboratory (NSRL) was added.

Significant additions to the MoTTU have occurred over the past 31 years including the establishment of the Ranching Heritage Center (dedicated in 1976 and reorganized as a separate University department in 1998), the construction of permanent interpretation and research facilities at the Lubbock Lake Landmark (1990), the building of the Diamond M Wing to house the spectacular Diamond M Fine Art Collection (1995), the addition of the spacious Helen Jones Auditorium and Sculpture Court Wing (2001), and the 18,000+sq.ft. NSRL Addition in 2004 and an educational space addition to the Nash Interpretive Center at the Landmark in 2007.

In addition to physical plant growth, the collections have continued to increase steadily. In 2000, the collections number in the neighborhood of three million objects and specimens. The Museum of TTU is a vital, growing institution that will continue to provide education and entertainment to the university and surrounding communities, and all who visit far into the future.

COMPONENTS of the
Museum of Texas Tech University

Museum
Diamond M Galleries
Helen DeVitt Jones Auditorium and Sculpture Court
Moody Planetarium
Natural Science Research Laboratory
Lubbock Lake Landmark

Museum

The Museum of TTU is a major general museum with collections in the arts, humanities, and the sciences numbering nearly 2 million objects. Temporary and permanent exhibitions in the social and natural sciences, and visual arts are presented in the main building on both the first and second floors. The Museum Shop offers items for purchase that relate to the mission of the Museum. The Museum is the working laboratory for the Center for Advanced Study of Museum Science and Heritage Management, which trains graduate students in the philosophies, theories, and practices of the museum profession and awards a Master of Arts degree. Click for directions, public hours, or to contact the Museum.

ADMISSION to the Museum is FREE, as public parking in the 4th Street and Indiana Avenue lots.

Diamond M Galleries

The Diamond M Galleries wing was added to the Museum building in 1996 to house and exhibit the large and impressive collection of the late Clarence Thurston and Evelyn Claire Littleton McLaughlin. The wing consists of three public galleries and a non-public basement for work and storage. Most of the Diamond M Fine Art Collection has been on display in the galleries and the shows are changed periodically to allow the collection to be available to visitors, as one of the wishes of the Diamond M Foundation, donor of the collection, was that the collection be available for public enjoyment and education.

Helen DeVitt Jones Auditorium and Sculpture Court

Helen DeVitt Jones, philanthropist and patron, had a dream that the Museum should be a place for everyone to enjoy and for it to be a cultural hub for the community. Following her death in 1997, The CH Foundation, Inc., provided funds to construct a much needed auditorium and sculpture court for public programs and events. The resulting 48,000 square foot addition to the Museum building includes both the main features mentioned and much more. Such facilities as a catering kitchen, ADA restroom facilities, Green Room/Classroom, backstage area with dressing rooms, and Special Exhibitions Gallery are part of the new wing which opened on April 1, 2001. For interior and exterior photos, click here.

Moody Planetarium

The Moody Planetarium, originally an 82-seat, 30'-diameter domed auditorium equipped with an A4 Spitz Starball projector, has undergone extensive renovation. When it reopened in 2006, the planetarium boasted state-of-the-art equipment and programs. The newly outfitted, 71-seat Moody Planetarium offers daily public shows and specially scheduled school programs about science and astronomy, along with exciting laser and sounds shows. See the Moody Planetarium webpage for show offerings, times, and admission pricing.

For more information about the Moody Planetarium, during business hours call 806.742.2432, after hours call 742.2490 for a recording, or email to museum.education@ttu.edu.

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Natural Science Research Laboratory

The Natural Science Research Laboratory (NSRL) is a division of the Museum of Texas Tech University committed to the mission of building and preserving a library of our planet's natural heritage for education and research purposes. Innovative programs in Systematics, Data Management, and Biological Informatics make the NSRL a leader in preservation methodology for biological collections across the country.

The NSRL affords vast resources for scholarly study. It boasts collections in mammalogy, herpetology, ornithology, invertebrates, and genetics resources. The Recent Mammal Collection contains over 175,000 specimens from all over the world; the Invertebrates Collection contains over 1 million specimens. An 18,000+sq.ft. addition was constructed in 2004-05 to provide for expansion of collections and services. The NSRL is not generally available for public viewing, but visit the NSRL website for more information about the NSRL. (Don't forget to bookmark for easy return.)

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Lubbock Lake Landmark

The Lubbock Lake Landmark, a renowned North American archeological site, contains a complete cultural record from the Clovis Period (12,000 years ago) through historic times, making Lubbock one of the oldest communities in the world! The Landmark is home to the Robert A."Bob" Nash Interpretive Center, housing exhibits on the history of the site, the Lubbock Lake Landmark Learning Center, offering tours of the site daily, and the archeological facility, the Quaternary Research Center, where ongoing investigations are conducted into the ancient history of the region.

ADMISSION to the Lubbock Lake Landmark is FREE, as is the parking in the adjacent Landmark Lane lot.

Lubbock Lake Landmark is located north of the intersection of Loop 289 and Clovis Highway (US 84) on Landmark Drive, across from Burl Huffman Athletic Complex. Click for directions and public hours. For more information, call (806)742-1116, or email to lubbock.lake@ttu.edu.

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LOCATION

Museum of TTU (Museum, Moody Planetarium, & NSRL)

The main Museum complex is located on the SE corner of 4th Street and Indiana Avenue (3301 4th Street), across from the TTU Health Sciences Center and UMC Hospital. Free public parking is available in 4th Street and Indiana Avenue lots. Admission to the Museum is free of charge.

APPROACHES:
From the south on US 84, travel north (becomes Avenue Q) to 4th Street, turn left (west) to Indiana Avenue. Museum on the southeast corner of the intersection of Indiana Avenue and 4th Street.
From Interstate 27, take the 4th Street exit, travel west to Indiana Avenue. Museum on the southeast corner of the intersection of Indiana Avenue and 4th Street.
From the northwest on US 84 (Clovis Hwy), travel east to Indiana Avenue, turn right to 4th Street. Museum on the southeast corner of the intersection of Indiana Avenue and 4th Street.
From the southwest on US 62 (Brownfield Hwy), take Quaker Avenue north to 4th Street then turn right (east). Museum on the southeast corner of the intersection of Indiana Avenue and 4th Street.

ADDRESS:
3301 Fourth Street
Box 43191, Lubbock, Texas 79409-3191
Telephone: Business Hours, 8-5 weekdays - 806.742.2490
After hours recording and voice mail at 806.742.2490
Fax: 806.742.1136
E-mail to: museum.texastech@ttu.edu

Lubbock Lake Landmark

Lubbock Lake Landmark is located at North Loop 289 and the Clovis Hwy (US 84) on Landmark Lane, just north of the Clovis Hwy and west of the Burl Huffman Athletic Complex. Free public parking is available on the hill above the Robert A. "Bob" Nash Interpretive Center. Admission to the LLL is free of charge.

APPROACHES:
From the south on US 84 follow Avenue Q (US 84) to the Clovis Hwy (US 84), to north edge of city. Watch for signs on the right.
From Interstate 27, take the North Loop 289 (travel west), watch for signs on right.
From the northwest on Clovis Hwy (US 84), watch for signs on left as you enter the city limits.
From the southwest on US 62 (Brownfield Hwy), take North Loop 289 to Clovis Hwy exit. Watch for signs.

ADDRESS:
North Loop 289 and the Clovis Hwy (US 84) on Landmark Lane
Box 43191, Lubbock, Texas 79409-3191
Telephone: 806.742.1116
E-mail to: lubbock.lake@ttu.edu