The John Wayne Birthplace and Learning Center

[Wayne]

This new design is quite different from the previous one. This is much more southwestern in flavor, using large exposed wooden beams and a covered walkway leading from John Wayne Drive to the entry doors (good for motorcoach tours in inclement weather). While the older design was mostly a brick exterior with limestone surfaces towards the front, the new design is basically all limestone, which ties in better with the nearby Madison County Courthouse which also has a limestone exterior. There's a couple of major stone quarries just a few miles away, so we'll be utilizing more locally-sourced material too. This one is just a bit larger (9,000 square feet vs. 8,500) and has a slightly larger theatre area.

The front plaza is oriented towards the corner rather than facing directly towards John Wayne Drive, and centers around the John Wayne statue that we didn't have yet when the last design was produced. Another idea is the ability to section off the exhibits area so the theatre and the spacious 2-story lobby can be used separately for gatherings after normal business hours or rented out for things like Chamber events. That'll be nice because it can help reduce our operating costs.

It's going to be quite a striking structure, one that's worthy of the great man we honor!