An Ayn Rand Museum Is Coming to Austin

With the addition of an Ayn Rand museum, the blueberry of Austin in the Texas tomato soup is taking on a shade of purple.

The Ayn Rand Museum and Archives Foundation, an arm of the Ayn Rand Institute created to preserve the Russia-born philosopher’s manuscripts, is moving forward with plans to build an Ayn Rand Center near the University of Texas at Austin campus, according to a new state filing.

The Santa Ana, California-based foundation honors the legacy of the 20th century author of The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and other novels that have inspired libertarians for decades. The development of the center also marks the migration of the institute and foundation to Austin.

The foundation plans to build a two-story, 27,144-square-foot building that will feature a library, exhibition room, office and “higher education classroom spaces.” Construction on the center near the intersection of San Gabriel Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is expected to start in July, wrap up in October 2028 and cost $30 million, or about $1,100 per square foot. TDLR filings are preliminary and may change.

The filing comes a few years after the foundation bought a 0.4-acre lot at 1900 San Gabriel Street in 2023 and a neighboring 0.2-acre lot at 1904 San Gabriel Street in 2024 for undisclosed prices, public records show. The land covers the northwest corner of the intersection of San Gabriel and Martin Luther King, and it’s unimproved, according to the Travis Central Appraisal District.

The foundation unveiled its design for the upcoming center in 2024. Exhibitions will include “rare artifacts” and original manuscripts, according to a video. The same video touts the site’s proximity to the University of Texas, but foundation chairman Yaron Brook also noted that it’s near the fledgling University of Austin, the as-yet unaccredited “anti-woke” university established in 2021 by a group of founders including CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.

The project filing doesn’t elaborate on which university is expected to use the classroom space.

The center’s establishment highlights the libertarian streak taking hold in the historically progressive stronghold that is the Texas capital. It’s grown more pronounced with Elon Musk’s migration of his homebase and companies from California to Austin.

The Ayn Rand Museum and Archives Foundation did not immediately respond for comment.