Holocaust Museum Houston has announced a $15 million matching gift — the largest gift in its history — from Lester and Sue Smith in support of an expansion that will more than double its size and make it the fourth-largest Holocaust museum in the country. 

To create space for the new three-story structure, which will house exhibits, classrooms, library space, and administrative offices, two-thirds of the current HMH building will be razed. The $33.8 million project is scheduled to begin in October and be completed in early 2019. In recognition of the gift, the new building will be named Holocaust Museum Houston, Lester and Sue Smith Campus.

The Smiths had pledged $1 million to the museum's $49.4 million capital campaign but added $14 million as "a surprise" to ensure that the project breaks ground on schedule, the Houston Chronicle reports. To date, the campaign has secured 73 percent of the campaign goal, which includes $11.7 million for an endowment.

"Because the museum is a leader in educating our youth, the expansion will give us the opportunity to serve substantially more students each year," said the museum's  CEO, Kelly J. Zúñiga. "We believe the expanded exhibits, complete with bilingual English/Spanish signage, will increase student field trip attendance by 50 percent in the first year alone and are projecting that our overall attendance will grow by nearly 35 percent."

Texas native Lester Smith, CEO of Houston-based Smith Energy Company, said he has always believed  in the museum's mission to teach the lessons civilization has learned from the Holocaust.

"As longtime supporters of HMH, we believe strongly in the institution's mission to educate visitors about the dangers of apathy, prejudice, and inaction," said Smith, whose grandfather emigrated from Russia in 1903. "We are very proud to have our family's name forever associated with the museum and look forward to the opening of the Lester and Sue Smith Campus and all the lives that will be impacted by the experience."