Irving Archives and Museum

The Irving Archives and Museum (IAM) excites visitors with an interactive, permanent, nationally award-winning exhibition on the city’s history, temporary exhibitions and a Smithsonian Spark!Lab where adults and children alike create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment, and invent. Also housed at IAM is the city’s archives, allowing the discovery of Irving’s history through access to documents, photographs, maps, films and more.

Exhibits

Permanent Exhibition
The first section explores the early history of the region when trails and crossroads made this an important region for indigenous peoples and European settlers and then examines the founding of Irving and its early development. Next, learn about how the automobile helped Irving to grow into a central suburb in North Texas with increasing town services, educational opportunities, culture, and commerce. Irving was, in many ways, a microcosm of what was happening across the nation during the post-war baby boom. Finally, experience the history of three major events that led Irving to evolve from a bedroom community to become a modern urban landscape – the building of Texas Stadium, the opening of DFW Airport, and the creation of Las Colinas all played essential roles in the development of Irving into the vibrant, multicultural city that it is today.

Irving Archives and Museum is also home to a Smithsonian Spark!Lab. This unique space provides opportunities for children and families to explore their inventive creativity - to create, innovate, collaborate, and problem-solve - because these experiences empower kids to develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed today and in the future.

Participation in Museum Day is open to any tax-exempt or governmental museum or cultural venue on a voluntary basis. Smithsonian magazine encourages museum visitation, but is not responsible for and does not endorse the content of the participating museums and cultural venues, and does not subsidize museums that participate.