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Originally, the plan was to build the Reagan Library at Stanford University, and an agreement was reached with the university in 1984. Those plans were canceled in 1987, and the freestanding site in Simi Valley was chosen in place of Stanford the same year. Construction of the library began in 1988, and the center was dedicated on November 4, 1991. The dedication ceremonies were the first time in United States history that five United States Presidents gathered together in the same place: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan himself, and George H. W. Bush. Six First Ladies also attended: Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush. Only Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis did not attend.
At the time when the Reagan Library opened, it was the largest of the presidential libraries, with approximately 153,000 sq ft. It held that ranking until the dedication of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 18, 2004. But when the 90,000-square-foot Air Force One Pavilion opened in October 2005, the Reagan Library reclaimed the title in terms of physical size, although the Clinton Library remains the largest presidential library in terms of materials (documents, artifacts, photographs, etc.).
Like all presidential libraries since that of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Reagan Library was built entirely with private donations, at a cost of US$60 million. Major donors included Walter Annenberg, Lew Wasserman, Lodwrick Cook, Joe Albritton, Rupert Murdoch, Richard Sills, and John P. McGovern.
The Reagan Library is the repository of presidential records for Reagan’s administration. Holdings include 50 million pages of presidential documents, over 1.6 million photographs, a half million feet of motion picture film and tens of thousands of audio and video tapes. The Library also houses personal papers collections including documents from Reagan’s eight years as Governor of California.
The museum exhibits begin during Reagan's childhood in Dixon, Illinois and follows his life through his film career and military service, marriage to Nancy Davis Reagan, and political career. His 1980 and 1984 presidential campaigns are also highlighted, as well as his inauguration suit and a table from the White House Situation Room is on display. News footage of the 1981 assassination attempt on his life is shown, and information about the proposed Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, colloquially known as "Star Wars") is also included. A full-scale replica of Reagan's Oval Office is included as well.
The hilltop grounds provide expansive views of the area and contains a piece of the Berlin Wall. An F-14 Tomcat is also located on the grounds. President Reagan's final resting place is located overlooking this view.
A 90,000-square-foot exhibit hangar serves as the setting for the permanent display of the Boeing 707 aircraft utilized as Air Force One during Reagan's administration. The aircraft, SAM 27000, was also used by six other presidents in its active service life from 1973–2001, including Richard Nixon during his second term, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. The aircraft was flown to San Bernardino International Airport in September 2001, where it was presented to the Reagan Foundation. Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, disassembled the plane and transported it to the library in pieces. After the construction of the foundation of the pavilion itself, the plane was reassembled and restored to museum quality. The pavilion was dedicated on October 24, 2005, by Nancy Reagan, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. The plane is part of a comprehensive display about presidential travel that also includes a Johnson-era Sikorsky VH-3 Sea King helicopter, call sign Marine One, and a presidential motorcade — Reagan's 1984 presidential parade limousine, a 1982 Los Angeles Police Department police car (as well as two 1980s police motorcycles), and a 1986 Secret Service vehicle used in one of President Reagan's motorcades in Los Angeles.
The pavilion is also home to the original O'Farrell's pub from Ballyporeen in the Republic of Ireland that President and Mrs. Reagan visited in June 1984, now called the "Ronald Reagan Pub." The pavilion has been used on several occasions as the venue for televised Republican Party primary-related debates.
Following is more information about the Reagan Library:
Website: http://www.reaganfoundation.org/
Address: 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, California
Hours of operation: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 7 days a week. Closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RonaldReagan
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/reaganfoundation
Twitter: @RonaldReagan40