August 20, 2025

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Balfour Beatty, in association with Varnedoe Construction, has broken ground on the final phase of The North Carolina History Center on Civil War, Emancipation and Reconstruction (The Center). Once complete, the 60,000-square-foot facility located in Fayetteville’s Arsenal Park will serve as a transformative educational and cultural institution, telling the stories of all North Carolinians before, during and after the Civil War.

Balfour Beatty has been selected to manage construction of the Center’s final phase, valued at $85 million and funded by the State of North Carolina, the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County and private donors. This phase of construction includes the delivery of large-scale exhibit galleries and operational spaces designed by Vines Architecture and Eisterhold Associates.

The Center is the culmination of a multi-phase development that began with the VanStory History Village and an outdoor educational pavilion. Designed to house classrooms, an auditorium and state-of-the-art interactive exhibits, the Center will leverage resources from the UNC System, the Smithsonian Institution and community historians to present a comprehensive and inclusive narrative of the Civil War and its legacy.

“The Center is a meaningful addition to our public assembly portfolio in the Carolinas,” said Jeff Sandeen, president of Balfour Beatty in the Carolinas. “It’s a privilege to contribute to a project that will educate and inspire future generations.” 

This project joins Balfour Beatty’s ongoing public assembly work including the Emanuel 9 Memorial project in Charleston, South Carolina. The Center project further demonstrates the company’s growing expertise in delivering high-impact public assembly spaces that honor history and foster community engagement 

The Center is scheduled for completion Spring 2028 and will be operated by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. For more information about the Center, visit nccivilwarcenter.org.