In 2002, an oversized sculpture of Holly's distinctive horn-rimmed glasses was installed outside the Center's main entrance, and in 2013 Crickets drummer Jerry Allison's restored house was relocated to the site and opened to the public.

[1][2] The depot, which provided the city with both passenger and freight service, was the largest built on the Lubbock–Estelline branch of the Fort Worth and Denver, itself a subsidiary of the Burlington Route.

[1][2] In 1984, the City of Lubbock established a Fine Arts Center; although it developed successful artistic and popular programs, it was housed in "an aging structure that was never intended for museum or gallery functions".

[1] The next year the city then purchased the recently closed Depot Restaurant, and began restoring, renovating, and expanding it into a facility that could both replace the Fine Arts Center and serve as a home for its newly acquired Buddy Holly collection.

[2] Crickets drummer Jerry Allison's house, which had previously been restored and then relocated to the site of the Buddy Holly Center, opened to the public for the first time on September 7, 2013.

[6] Furthermore, the collection includes numerous photographs (both promotional and personal in nature) as well as documents, such as postcards, fan mail, original tour itineraries, and business cards.

[12] It also hosts an annual Summer Showcase Concert Series, which offers free performances in its Meadows Courtyard from May to August featuring bands of various musical genres, including rock, rhythm and blues, funk, soul, country, metal, and mariachi.