Gerald Ford's Presidential Library and Museum
Gerald Ford is unique among presidents for many reasons (such as being the only person to hold the offices of Vice-President and President without having ever been elected to either of them). One of the reasons for his uniqueness is that his Presidential Library and his Presidential Museum are in two different cities in his adopted home state of Michigan. (Ford was born in Nebraska, but represented Michigan in Congress for many years before being picked to replace Spiro Agnew as Vice-President in 1974).
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is located on the north campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. There this presidential library houses archival materials on Ford's life, career, and presidency. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is a part of the National Archives and Records Administration's presidential library system.
In 1965, while still a member of the United States Congress, Ford began donating his congressional papers to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, which was his alma mater. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from that institution in 1935. Near the end of his presidency, Ford offered to donate his presidential materials to a presidential library that would be built on the university's campus and administered by the National Archives. Construction of the library began on January 15, 1979, and the library was opened to the public on April 27, 1981. The Ford Library is presently the only National Archives presidential library that is physically separate from its presidential museum. Both sites share a common director.
The majority of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library collection is made up of presidential and White House staff papers from 1974-1977. Papers from first lady Betty Ford, some of Gerald Ford's additional pre- and post-presidential papers, research interviews and papers, as well as various Federal records are also included in the collection. In total, there are over 3,500 hours of audio, 25 million pages of documents, 3,500 hours of motion picture film, 450,000 photographs, and 3,500 hours of video housed in the collection.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is also place where the Fords are buried. It is located near the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Funds for the construction of the museum were raised from over 14,000 individual donations through the efforts of the Gerald Ford Commemorative Committee, the University of Michigan, the State of Michigan, Kent County, and the City of Grand Rapids.
The museum is 44,000 square feet in area, and is a two-story triangular museum. It was designed by Marvin DeWinter Associates and built at a cost of $11 million. The museum is set in a 20-acre park complex that includes the Grand Rapids Public Museum along the west bank of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids.
The building was dedicated September 18, 1981, with a gala celebration attended by President and Mrs. Reagan, President José López Portillo of Mexico, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sunao Sonoda, former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Bob Hope served as master of ceremonies and part of the festivities were recorded for a TV broadcast.
The east side of the museum has a 300-foot-wide glass wall providing a view of the river and downtown Grand Rapids beyond. The main entrance features a reflecting pool and fountain to welcome visitors. The site is linked with downtown hotels and shops by a pedestrian bridge spanning the river.
The main floor contains exhibits on President Ford's life and career as President of the United States. This floor includes a full-scale replica of the Oval Office furnished as it was during Ford's presidency. Special exhibits highlight the 1976 Bicentennial celebration and Betty Ford's role as first lady during her husband's term in office. Other exhibits simulate visitors travel by video with President Ford and Secretary Kissinger to various hot-spots around the globe. They also allow visitors to take a holographic tour of the Ford White House and to experience a day in the Oval Office through a sound and light show.
The museum also contains a Watergate gallery with includes a six-minute, multi-screen history beginning with the June 1972 break-in and a display of the actual burglary tools. An interactive Cabinet Room allows visitors to take part in presidential decision making. Also on display are gifts presented by heads of state and other foreign dignitaries, as well as personal gifts to Ford from the American people.
The award-winning film, "A Time To Heal," is shown hourly in the museum auditorium. A section of the Berlin Wall stands in the museum's lobby, which was dedicated by Ford on September 6, 1991.
Permanent exhibits at the museum include:
*Gerald Ford's America: pop culture of the 1970s.
*Young Jerry Ford: His formative years to inauguration as vice president.
*Constitution in Crisis: The Watergate years.
*At Work in the Oval Office: A recreation of the Oval Office during Ford's years as President of the United States.
*Leadership in Diplomacy: Ford's foreign trips with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
*Ford Cabinet Room: A recreation of the Cabinet Room of the Ford Presidency. Videos highlight the pardon of Richard Nixon, the seizure of the SS Mayagüez, and the New York City financial crisis.
There are also temporary exhibits that change from time to time.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum are sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.
The museum annually hosts naturalization ceremonies for new citizens and opens the grounds to community festivities and Independence Day fireworks. Other regular programs at the museum include the Great Decisions Lecture Series which brings guest speakers on selected foreign policy topics and features audience discussions and completion of "opinion ballots".
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is located on the north campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. There this presidential library houses archival materials on Ford's life, career, and presidency. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is a part of the National Archives and Records Administration's presidential library system.
In 1965, while still a member of the United States Congress, Ford began donating his congressional papers to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, which was his alma mater. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from that institution in 1935. Near the end of his presidency, Ford offered to donate his presidential materials to a presidential library that would be built on the university's campus and administered by the National Archives. Construction of the library began on January 15, 1979, and the library was opened to the public on April 27, 1981. The Ford Library is presently the only National Archives presidential library that is physically separate from its presidential museum. Both sites share a common director.
The majority of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library collection is made up of presidential and White House staff papers from 1974-1977. Papers from first lady Betty Ford, some of Gerald Ford's additional pre- and post-presidential papers, research interviews and papers, as well as various Federal records are also included in the collection. In total, there are over 3,500 hours of audio, 25 million pages of documents, 3,500 hours of motion picture film, 450,000 photographs, and 3,500 hours of video housed in the collection.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is also place where the Fords are buried. It is located near the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Funds for the construction of the museum were raised from over 14,000 individual donations through the efforts of the Gerald Ford Commemorative Committee, the University of Michigan, the State of Michigan, Kent County, and the City of Grand Rapids.
The museum is 44,000 square feet in area, and is a two-story triangular museum. It was designed by Marvin DeWinter Associates and built at a cost of $11 million. The museum is set in a 20-acre park complex that includes the Grand Rapids Public Museum along the west bank of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids.
The building was dedicated September 18, 1981, with a gala celebration attended by President and Mrs. Reagan, President José López Portillo of Mexico, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sunao Sonoda, former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Bob Hope served as master of ceremonies and part of the festivities were recorded for a TV broadcast.
The east side of the museum has a 300-foot-wide glass wall providing a view of the river and downtown Grand Rapids beyond. The main entrance features a reflecting pool and fountain to welcome visitors. The site is linked with downtown hotels and shops by a pedestrian bridge spanning the river.
The main floor contains exhibits on President Ford's life and career as President of the United States. This floor includes a full-scale replica of the Oval Office furnished as it was during Ford's presidency. Special exhibits highlight the 1976 Bicentennial celebration and Betty Ford's role as first lady during her husband's term in office. Other exhibits simulate visitors travel by video with President Ford and Secretary Kissinger to various hot-spots around the globe. They also allow visitors to take a holographic tour of the Ford White House and to experience a day in the Oval Office through a sound and light show.
The museum also contains a Watergate gallery with includes a six-minute, multi-screen history beginning with the June 1972 break-in and a display of the actual burglary tools. An interactive Cabinet Room allows visitors to take part in presidential decision making. Also on display are gifts presented by heads of state and other foreign dignitaries, as well as personal gifts to Ford from the American people.
The award-winning film, "A Time To Heal," is shown hourly in the museum auditorium. A section of the Berlin Wall stands in the museum's lobby, which was dedicated by Ford on September 6, 1991.
Permanent exhibits at the museum include:
*Gerald Ford's America: pop culture of the 1970s.
*Young Jerry Ford: His formative years to inauguration as vice president.
*Constitution in Crisis: The Watergate years.
*At Work in the Oval Office: A recreation of the Oval Office during Ford's years as President of the United States.
*Leadership in Diplomacy: Ford's foreign trips with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
*Ford Cabinet Room: A recreation of the Cabinet Room of the Ford Presidency. Videos highlight the pardon of Richard Nixon, the seizure of the SS Mayagüez, and the New York City financial crisis.
There are also temporary exhibits that change from time to time.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum are sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.
The museum annually hosts naturalization ceremonies for new citizens and opens the grounds to community festivities and Independence Day fireworks. Other regular programs at the museum include the Great Decisions Lecture Series which brings guest speakers on selected foreign policy topics and features audience discussions and completion of "opinion ballots".