Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Richard Nixon Presidential Library |
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View from birthplace looking across gardens to the Nixon Library Museum
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| General information | |
| Location | Yorba Linda, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°53′21″N 117°49′10″W / 33.88917°N 117.81944°W |
| Named for | Richard Nixon |
| Inaugurated | Dedicated on July 19, 1990 Rededicated on October 14, 2016 |
| Cost | $15 million USD |
| Management | NARA Richard Nixon Foundation |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 52,000 sq ft (4,800 m2) |
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is a special place that tells the story of Richard Nixon, who was the 37th president of the United States from 1969 to 1974. It's also where he and his wife, Pat Nixon, are buried.
This library is in Yorba Linda, California, on land that Nixon's family once owned. It's one of 13 presidential libraries managed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The 9-acre (3.6 ha) area includes the Richard Nixon Birthplace, which is a National Historic Landmark. Nixon was born there in 1913 and spent his childhood in that home.
The library first opened on July 19, 1990. For many years, it was run by a private group called the Richard Nixon Foundation. In 2016, the library got a big makeover. It now has modern, interactive exhibits with lots of videos and touch screens. Today, both NARA and the Richard Nixon Foundation work together to run the library.
Contents
How the Library Started
Before the library was built, there was an idea to put it near Duke University, where Nixon went to college. However, this plan didn't work out because some professors at Duke protested.
For a long time, presidents owned all their official papers. They could take them or even destroy them after leaving office. In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to give his papers to the public. He donated them to the National Archives, creating the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Things changed after the events that led to Richard Nixon leaving office. In 1974, Congress passed a law called the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act. This law made sure that Nixon's White House papers and tape recordings would belong to the National Archives. This way, they would be kept safe for everyone to study.
Because of this law, Nixon's official papers and tapes were held by the National Archives. They couldn't be moved to the new library in Yorba Linda right away. Money to build the library came from private donations. In December 1988, Nixon's youngest daughter, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, helped start the construction.
Grand Opening of the Library
The library officially opened its doors on July 19, 1990. Many important people attended the ceremony. Former President Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon were there. Also present were President George H. W. Bush, former President Gerald Ford, and former President Ronald Reagan. Their wives, Barbara Bush, Betty Ford, and Nancy Reagan, also attended. About 50,000 people gathered for this special event. Nixon said it felt wonderful to be "welcomed home again."
What You Can See at the Library
The museum building is 52,000-square-foot (4,800 m2) big and tells the story of Nixon's life and career. Behind the museum is his childhood home. Nixon's father built this house from a kit, and it has been restored to look like it did in the 1910s. President Nixon and Pat Nixon are buried on the grounds, very close to where he was born.
The library also has the Katharine B. Loker Center and Annenberg Court. This part was built in 2004 and is 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m2). It includes a special room for exhibits and an exact copy of the East Room from the White House. This replica is often used for events like weddings and business meetings.
Inside the Presidential Museum
The museum has a large collection of items, clothing, and photos from the Nixons. You can see bronze statues of world leaders who worked with Nixon. These leaders are dressed in copies of their actual clothes.
You can also see the special limousine that President Nixon used. It's a customized 1969 Lincoln Continental. In the foreign affairs section, there's a 12-foot-high (3.7 m) piece of the Berlin Wall. This area also has statues of Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. You can also see pages from the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty I, which Nixon signed with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in 1972.
A special helicopter, a VH-3A "Sea King", is on display at the library. This helicopter was part of the presidential fleet from 1961 to 1976. It carried Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford, as well as many leaders from other countries. Lieutenant Colonel Gene Boyer, Nixon's chief helicopter pilot, helped bring it to the library.
In 2016, the entire museum had a $15 million renovation. It reopened in October with new exhibits. The new museum has almost 70 exhibits, including a copy of President Nixon's Oval Office that visitors can walk into. Many of the new exhibits are interactive, with touch screens and videos, to make them interesting for younger visitors. Historians checked all the facts in the new museum to make sure they were accurate.
The Nixon Library also hosts the Nixon Geography Challenge for middle school students in Yorba Linda. Students take a test about countries and places around the world. Those who score well receive a special certificate.
Working with the National Archives
In 2004, a new law was passed that allowed the Nixon Presidential Library to become a federally run library. This meant that over 30,000 presidential gifts and millions of presidential records could be moved from Maryland to Yorba Linda.
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In 2005, the Nixon Foundation invited the National Archives to work together. The Nixon Library then became the twelfth federally funded presidential library. This means NARA helps operate and staff the library along with the Nixon Foundation. On July 11, 2007, the library officially joined the federal presidential library system.
Before NARA took over, some people felt that the library's exhibits didn't fully explain why Nixon resigned in 1974. In 2007, NARA removed the old exhibit about these events. A new exhibit opened on March 31, 2011, to provide a more complete historical view.
Library Collections
The archives section of the library opened in March 1994. It holds about 46 million pages of official White House records from Nixon's time as president. The Nixon Library now has all of President Nixon's papers, including those from before, during, and after his presidency.
As of 2012, all of Nixon's presidential materials that have been organized are available for people to research at the Nixon Library.
Images for kids
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The rear entrance of Richard Nixon's birthplace
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The graves of President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon located on the library grounds.
See also
In Spanish: Biblioteca y Museo Presidencial de Richard Nixon para niños
