On a hot California summer day in 1990, 50,000 friends and well-wishers – including four Presidents and their First Ladies – gathered to dedicate a facility to one of their own. They were joined by a full roster of diplomatic officials and members of Congress, as well as Hollywood’s best and longtime RN staffers.
Introduced by President George H.W. Bush, RN told those assembled that “nothing we have ever seen matches this moment – to be welcomed home again.”
Click here to watch a video of the Library dedication!
Since its dedication, the Nixon Library has attracted over 3.5 million visitors, ranking it among the most visited attractions in Southern California. It boasts the most active public programming of any presidential library in the nation, having hosted over 350 speakers. The original museum was doubled in size in 2004 with the opening of the Annenberg Entrance Court and Loker Center, containing an exact replica of the White House East Room. The addition provided generous space for dinner galas, lectures, school programs, conferences, social events and corporate meetings.
The Foundation and Library are currently celebrating the centennial of First Lady Pat Nixon, and are planning high-profile events to mark President Nixon’s centennial next year.
Jimmy Byron is a Marketing and Communications Assistant at the Nixon Foundation. He is a second year student at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.