Approved in 1997 by the 75th Texas Legislature, The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum opened on April 21, 2001 at the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and North Congress Avenue in downtown Austin, Texas. The Legislature authorized $80 million in bond revenue to pay for the Museum's construction, which began in November 1998. The Museum was designed by E. Verner Johnson & Associates, Inc., the creators of the Boston Museum of Science, the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Public Museum of Grand Rapids. HKS, Inc. of Dallas served as Associate Architects. Construction management is provided by Thos. S. Byrne, Inc. of Fort Worth, with the actual construction done by Constructors & Associates, Inc. Excavation of the site was completed by SpawGlass, Inc.

The State Preservation Board was authorized by the Texas Legislature to manage the design, construction and governance of the Museum. Members of the Project Team included Rick Crawford, SPB Executive Director; Bonnie Campbell, Project Manager and Executive Officer; Lynn Denton, Museum Director; David Denney, Director of Public Programming; Robert Pirtle, Staff Project Architect; and Project Assistants Kevin Koch and Shoshanna Lansberg.

The Project Team selected The Planning, Research and Design Group, Ltd., BRC Imagination Arts and Pyramid Studios to design the exhibits and media (videos, computer programs, etc.) within the Museum. Five eminent Texas historians reviewed all graphics and images included in the Museum.