(Radio Iowa) – A grand reopening date of August 6th is now set for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch. The facility, which first opened in 1962, is undergoing a top-to-bottom, inside-and-out renovation. The 20-million dollar remodel forced the library and museum to close in January of 2025 and it’s undergoing a 100-percent change in its floor-plan, according to Mundi McCarty, president and C-E-O of the Hoover Presidential Foundation.
“We’re excited to welcome visitors back to see the museum in a new light,” McCarty says, “and really, our focus is, of course, on making sure that Hoover is seen as such a remarkable person, had a remarkable life, and is still really relevant today.” All of the public galleries have been gutted and they’re being rebuilt with new technology, immersive exhibits, expanded storytelling, and interactive educational experiences to tell the story of the nation’s 31st president.
The lobby area is also being expanded, and there’s a 22-hundred square foot addition. McCarty says all of the exterior stone work is from the exact same vein of Anamosa limestone from the same Stone City quarry that was originally used in the 1960s.
“You’ll see some familiarity with the look and feel of the library and museum, but once you step inside, everything will be new,” McCarty says, “except, of course, the classic story about Herbert Hoover.” The renovation was originally projected to take about 18 months, but the August reopening will be just over 20 months, as McCarty says they’ve encountered several unexpected challenges in working to upgrade the aging building. The last renovation was in the early 1990s. Before the COVID era, McCarty says they typically welcomed 35- to 40-thousand visitors a year.
“We’ll see a significant jump, potentially doubling and tripling over the course of the next year, year and a half,” McCarty says. “And on the student side, we have visitation typically between 8,000 to 12,000 students annually. And we anticipate over time that will increase as the museum reopens to school field trips.” The grand reopening is set for August 6th, a Thursday, and the date wasn’t picked at random.
“This date really surrounds the birthday of Herbert Hoover, which is on August the 10th, and it coincides with a local celebration, called Hoover’s Hometown Days,” McCarty says. “It really celebrates the West Branch community where Herbert Hoover was raised, and it’s really a way to bring both worlds together to celebrate something very historic.” The reopening celebration will feature a formal ribbon cutting ceremony, guest speakers, community festivities, and opportunities for visitors to experience the redesigned museum for the first time.
https://hoover.archives.gov/
https://hooverpresidentialfoundation.org/
