Title: White%20House%20Heritage%20Museum%20Proposal
1White House Heritage Museum Proposal
- 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, South Bend, Indiana
2Presidential Heritage
- There are 13 (soon to be 14) official
presidential libraries and several unofficial
presidential museums and libraries scattered
around America. - Every president since Hoover has an official
library Lincoln, McKinley, and others are
unofficial - They celebrate only one president each
- They average 150,000 visitors a year
- Many are not self-supporting Congress is trying
to raise endowment requirements - No museum is dedicated to the White House.
- The Truman Library contains a great deal about
the Truman-era reconstruction - The White House Historical Association and the
Smithsonian preserve its history but not with
substantial standing exhibits. - There is only one small museum dedicated to all
presidents - The American Presidential Museum in Branson, MO
3White House Heritage Museum
- The White House Heritage Museum is a proposed
project to create a non-profit history museum of
the American presidency and White House in the
form of a full-scale replica of the White House
mansion and grounds. - The project would create a major tourist
attraction and public park in the northern
Indiana/southern Michigan area. - The objective is to create a place where visitors
from around the nation and all over the world can
come to - Tour a replica of the White House and visit rooms
not open to the public in the real White House - Interact with displays of its history and the
history of the presidency - Enjoy the park and special events
4White House Heritage Museum
- The Museum is an approximately 32-acre campus
with White House replica and Lafayette Square
Park. - The mansion is flanked by two large parking lots
where the EEOB and Treasury buildings would be. - The north corners provide areas for shops on
either side of Lafayette Park. - Shuttle bus service could be available around the
Museum campus as well as to and from the airport,
Notre Dame campus, and downtown South Bend. - The campus and park are perfect for concerts,
parades, foot and bike races, and other events. - The retail space and other buildings would be
designed to complement the architectural style of
the White House. - Future expansions could include a Marine One
helicopter, Air Force One fuselage, presidential
carriages and limousines, and even a research
library that is a replica of the Taft-era West
Wing, complete with a replica of the first Oval
Office.
5Why a Replica?
- A Hall of Presidents is not enough of an
attraction. - The White House has a mystique beyond its
physical location. - Every presidential library includes a replica of
the Oval Office and usually other rooms. - The Zweifel miniature White House is a popular
traveling attraction. - TV shows and movies often capture the popular
imagination about what living and working in the
White House is like. - The White House is not available for special
events the way museums are. - Parts of the mansion could be rented for private
functions of all types. - The museum would host special community events
open to the public. - The White House offers little in the way of
historical exhibits of its own heritage. - The White House Visitors Center in Washington is
virtually empty. - Museum exhibits would be substituted for the more
utilitarian offices of the real White House.
Zweifel miniature White House
6The Presidents Residence
- The real White House is a working residence and
office building as well as a living museum. - 18 acres (Presidential Park only does not
include Lafayette Square) - 132 rooms 55,000 square feet (67,000 total)
- 12 million operating budgetstaff of 90 inside
and 23 on grounds - 1.5 million visitors a yearfree admission
- If the White House charged 8 admission, it would
operate in the black - A replica would cost less to run and would be
self-supporting with fewer visitors - Real White House tours are difficult to arrange,
very limited in scope, and unavailable on
holidays. - Security concerns make White House tours subject
to occasional suspension or last-minute
cancellation.
Public tours of the White House are available
for groups of 10 or more people. Requests must be
submitted through one's Member of Congress and
are accepted up to six months in advance. These
self-guided tours are available from 730 a.m. to
1230 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (excluding
federal holidays), and are scheduled on a first
come, first served basis approximately one month
in advance of the requested date.
(WhiteHouse.gov)
7National Security Concerns
- The Museum foundation would work with Homeland
Security to be certain that no aspects important
to the safety of the president or security of the
White House would be duplicated accurately or
compromised by the museum replica. - Most of the detailed floor plan information is
already publicly available and does not present a
security concern. - No attempt would be made to replicate or describe
escape routes, command centers, electronic
surveillance systems, or sophisticated physical
security measures. - Private areas used as museum offices would not
replicate the actual White House floor plan for
those areas. - Conventional museum security measures would be
built into the design in unobtrusive ways, such
as electronic locks, video surveillance, and
anti-vehicle barriers.
8A Modular Plan
- A major advantage of this plan is its modular
approach. - The Museum might ultimately consist of several
parts. - Each stage of completion presents an opportunity
for media exposure and celebration, and therefore
becomes a tourist event. - Groundbreaking in the Oval Office location
- VIP tours of the mansion during late-stage
construction - Opening Ceremonies
- Museum offices and those rooms that are open to
the public inthe real White House are completed - Garden Party Celebration
- The White House grounds are completed, including
the Rose Garden, KennedyGarden, tennis courts,
swimming pool - Lafayette Park is completed
- Grand Opening
- Remaining museum rooms are completed
- Opening of expansion exhibits
- Presidential auto collection
- Decommissioned presidential helicopter on the
South Lawn - 747 fuselage painted and dressed inside as Air
Force One
9A Museum and Event Host
10The Mansion as Museum
- The White House replica would serve both as a
living replica of the real presidential mansion
and a museum of American presidential heritage. - All public and residence rooms and certain other
rooms (such as the Oval Office) would be dressed
to replicate the real White House décor. - On special occasions, some rooms could be
redressed with props and décor to replicate a
bygone era, such as the FDR administration or
Reagan administration - Most staff areas in the wings would feature
museum exhibits of White House and presidential
history. - Floor plan of these areas would be changed to
accommodate museum needs - Some staff areas would be used as museum offices.
- Fully secure/classified areas would be eliminated
from the replicas floor plan or used for museum
storage.
Reagan
FDR
Johnson
Clinton
11Architecture and Furnishings
- The appearance of accuracy is enough.
- Since the décor changes from administration to
administration, an approximation of the drapes,
carpets, and furniture at any given time will
suffice - Initial furnishings can be replaced with more
authentic materials over time - Woodwork and other permanent fixtures need to
appear accurate from the beginning - White House historians can help and provide
extensive documentation. - Trim molding styles, carpet designs, etc.
- Photos, diagrams, measurements, etc.
- Replicas of White House furniture and décor are
already available and often used by presidential
libraries. - The Oval Office rug is custom made by Hokanson.
- New flooring was installing in the Oval Office in
2005 by Carpet One. - Some chairs and tables are made by Kittinger.
- Accurate reproductions of the presidents
deskand other White House furniture are
availablefrom New York First and Victorian
Replicas
12Museum Exhibits
- The Museum would learn from and coordinate with
presidential library museums and local
attractions to provide interesting and
interactive exhibits. - Multimedia displays, mannequins, and personal
effects of past presidents - Photographs and pieces of White House renovations
- History and trivia exhibits
- First families
- One Observatory Circle the vice presidents
residence - Camp David history and tradition
- History of the Secret Service
- White House pets
- Interactive simulations and video kiosks
- Deliver a White House press announcement on
camera - Sign a bill into law
- Watch great presidential speeches
13The Mansion as Event Host
- Since the real White House is a working residence
of a head of state, replicating its features
would make a practical museum and event host. - Wheelchair/stroller accessibility
- Full kitchens for catered events dinners for
140, receptions for 1,000 - Ball room and meeting rooms for gala events,
debates, lectures, and conferences - Restrooms for the public and staff
- Offices for staff
- Carpenter, engineer, and flower shops
- For larger events, tents can be set up on the
lawn. - Weddings in the Rose Garden,receptions in the
East Room,dancing in the Entrance Hall.
14Special Events
- The Museum would host many events to ensure
continued service to the community and attraction
to tourists. - December January Christmas décor and events
can last from Thanksgiving to January - February Presidents Day celebration, with
presidential retrospectives - April-June Easter, Mothers Day, and Fathers Day
events - July week-long Independence Day celebration,
with concerts and fireworks - September October School field trips and a
haunted White House party - November Thanksgiving Day community dinner in
the State Dining Room - The Museum could host national community events.
- Speeches and historical talks
- Political debates
- The Museum would coordinate with local
communityevents and celebrations. - The Museum could be reserved for private
functions. - Weddings and wedding receptions
- VIP dinners and political campaign events
- Business conferences and catered dinners
- Private overnight stays (8 rooms 4 suites)
- Awards ceremonies
Christmas celebrations would be special
concerts, decorations that complement the real
White Houses holiday theme, ornaments made by
local school children, and more....
15The White House Virtual Tour
- Elevations and floor plans the Smithsonian
Institution, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. - Photographs the White House and presidential
library collections
16White House Layout
- The White House mansion consists of
- The Family Residence (main structure)
- The West Wing (presidents senior staff offices)
- The East Wing (social offices and visitor
reception) - The White House main structure is a four-story
building with basement and sub-basement and
multiple mezzanines. - Ground floor smaller public rooms and special
staff offices - 10-foot ceilings
- On the north side, the rooms look onto areaways
below street grade - First floor main entrance and grand public rooms
- 18-22-foot ceilings
- Ideal for corporate events and dinners
- Second floor family and guest rooms
- 14-foot ceilings
- Master suite and Lincoln bedroom
- Truman Balcony
- Third floor family and guest rooms,and offices
- 10-foot ceilings, set back from edges
- Sun room and promenade
17The Visitor Experience
- Visitors would arrive at the Museum on
Pennsylvania Avenue and see the fenced-in White
House on one side and the open Lafayette Square
and shopping district on the other. - They would park in the large lots flanking the
White House and walk or take a shuttle bus to the
Visitors Entrance near the East Wing (just as at
the real White House). - There they would pay the entrance fee and get
badges with electronic tags. - These security badges would become souvenirs
- They could be programmed to allow entry for one
or more days - After passing through a metal detector, visitors
proceed to the East Wing. - Souvenir shop
- Exhibits on the early presidency and White House
- In the theater, they could watch a short film
- Second floor would be museum offices
- Then they continue on into the Residence Ground
Floor.
18The Visitor Experience
- Visitors would browse the public rooms on the
Ground Floor and proceed up to the First Floor
and Second Floor by stairs or elevator. - Ground and First Floor rooms dressed as real with
kiosks playing clips of curators and residents
describing the history of the room - Food and soft drinks in the Family Dining Room on
the First Floor - Partial Third Floor tours available on special
days and for VIPs - They would then descend to the Ground Floor again
and proceed through the West Wing colonnade - Press Briefing Room and press offices with
exhibits - Then they would enter the West Wing First Floor
- Mostly exhibits of later presidency and White
House life - Oval Office, Cabinet Room, and Roosevelt Room
dressed as real - Situation Room and restaurant on Ground Floor, as
well as museum offices - Second floor would be museum offices
- Visitors could exit the West Wing and tour the
grounds by a guided electric cart tour or through
other exits and take a unguided walking tour of
the grounds. - The electric cart tour would end at the East
Wing, where visitors could buy souvenirs and
catch a shuttle bus back to where they parked.
19East Wing Ground Floor
EXHIBIT SPACE
EXHIBIT SPACE
3
M
2
1
W
GIFT SHOP
N
20East Wing Ground Floor
- The East Wing contains the visitors entrance, the
East Wing gallery, the White House theater, and
offices used by some first ladies and their
staffs as well as offices for correspondence,
calligraphers, and the social secretary. - Beneath it is the presidential emergency
operations center, which would not be replicated. - Second Floor offices would be used as museum
staff offices - First Floor would be turned into exhibit space
and a large gift shop.
3
2
1
21East Wing Ground Floor
CLASS- ROOMS
CLASS- ROOMS
N
22East Wing Ground Floor
- The East Wing contains the visitors entrance, the
East Wing gallery, the White House theater, and
offices used by some first ladies and their
staffs as well as offices for correspondence,
calligraphers, and the social secretary. - Beneath it is the presidential emergency
operations center, which would not be replicated. - Second Floor offices would be used as museum
staff offices - First Floor would be turned into exhibit space
and a large gift shop.
3
2
1
23Residence Ground Floor
Museum staff use
M
Public restroom
2
EXHIBIT SPACE
1
5
W
3
4
W
M
N
24Residence Ground Floor
3
4
1
2
5
25Residence First Floor
Museum staff use
Public restroom
Lower ceiling mezzanine level above
Fam
1
2
5
4
3
N
26Residence First Floor
2
1
4
5
3
27Residence Second Floor
Museum staff use
Public restroom
2
Fam
4
1
3
N
28Residence Second Floor
1
3
4
2
29Residence Third Floor
Museum staff use
Some of these rooms would be configured for and
used by museum staff. Others would be available
for overnight stays.
Public restroom
3
1
4
2
N
30Residence Third Floor
1
2
3
4
31West Wing First Floor
Museum staff use
Public restroom
EXHIBIT SPACE
4
EXHIBIT SPACE
2
3
EXHIBIT SPACE
M
W
EXHIBIT SPACE
N
1
32West Wing First Floor
2
3
1
4
33West Wing Second Floor
Museum staff use
Public restroom
The West Wings entire second floor would be
reconfigured for museum needs and converted to
staff use.
N
34West Wing Ground Floor
M
W
2
3
1
The WW Ground Floor would be converted to museum
staff space except for the Navy Mess restaurant
and the Situation Room, which would be maintained
as a replica.
N
35West Wing Ground Floor
3
1
2
36Grounds
- The White House grounds include
- A tennis court (1), Oval Office terrace, and
swimming pool (2), as well as fountains,
basketball court, putting green, horseshoe pit,
and groundskeeping buildings. - Gardens Rose Garden (3), Kennedy Garden,
Childrens Garden - Mature trees would be sought out to match White
House trees.
1
3
2
37Lafayette Square
- Lafayette Square is the park across Pennsylvania
Avenue from the White House. - Replicating it would provided a picturesque place
for community leisure and events that would be
maintained and administered by the museum
foundation. - The park would be open and free to the public.
38Logistics and Funding
39Central Location
- Northern Indiana (Michiana) is the perfect place
for a large-scale patriotic-themed museum
attraction. - Centrally located in the US
- Strategically located on the 80/90 toll road that
connects Chicago to Toledo and Cleveland, and on
the 31 freeway to Indianapolis - Big enough to support the project, small enough
to avoid traffic issues - Has a reputation for middle-American values and
patriotism (Hummer, Studebaker) - Conventions and Notre Dame give the South Bend
area notoriety and potential. - Attracts affluent and educated visitors
- Spurred the development excellent shopping,
restaurants, and hotels in the area - Spurred the development of a small but very good
airport facility
Size comparison to Notre Dame
Museum proposed location, anagricultural
areasouthwest of the citynot far from
new commercial development
40Impact
- The project should have a substantial positive
economic and cultural impact on the Michiana
area. - A major tourist attraction for an estimated
500,000 visitors per year - An attraction for high-profile corporate
executives, politicians, and scholars - A public park
- A center for community events
- 20 million in local labor and material
expenditures during construction - A professional staff of about 20 directors,
historians, curators, and department heads - An estimated 120 service jobs, post-construction
- Substantial revenues from retail stores in
Lafayette Square shopping district - Corresponding increase in revenues from existing
area retailers and services - There is no anticipated negative environmental or
cultural impact. - The proposed site would develop an agricultural
location - Little to no housing would be displaced
- Close enough to downtown to promote crossover
revenue and visitation - Relative remoteness would reduce any issues of
noise and traffic - Environmentally, the construction would compare
to the construction of a corporate office complex - Green construction techniques would likely be
encouraged and supported financially by
interested agencies and organizations
41Models
- Its very difficult to estimate the cost of
replicating a 200-year-old world-famous mansion
estate. - Some model projects are available to help
determine the costs involved. - Studebaker National Museum 2005 new facility
project - 9 million, raised privately
- 24,000 visitors
- 50,000 square feet
- Professional staff of 8
- National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
project, 2004 (Cincinnati) - 80 million
- 158,000 square feet (2.4 x the size of the White
House) - Computer History Museum project, 2005 (near San
Jose) - 125 million, corporate and private
- Staff of 30 permanent and 350 volunteers
- 120,000 square feet (1.8 x the size of the White
House) - Clinton Library project, 2004 (Little Rock)
- 165 million, raised mostly privately
- 150,000 square feet (2.3 x the size of the White
House) - Staff of 30 archivists alone
- GHW Bush Library project, 1997 (near Houston)
The controversial Lincoln Presidential Museum
cost 150M, of which 50M was federal money. It
had a highly successful opening, and continues to
have strong attendance of about 500,000 annually.
42Cost
- A total of 50 to 65 million would likely be
required, with the shopping district paid for by
the businesses who will occupy it. - The modular design would likely allow the museum
to open its doors with 28 million and begin
serving the community in approximately 2 years.
Completion Open
Land acquisition, planning, and design 3 million 3 million
Residence 10 million 8 million
West Wing 3 million 2 million
East Wing 2 million 1 million
Grounds (gardens, lawn, fountains) and misc. structures 4 million 2 million
Lafayette Square 2 million 1 million
Acquisitions and interactive displays and videos 17 million 5 million
Office and maintenance equipment 3.5 million 3.5 million
Advertising 5.5 million 2.5 million
INITIAL PROJECT TOTAL 50 million 28 million
These figures closely match the National
Association for Museum Exhibition figures for
cost per square foot, although this project
trades some showmanship for green space.
Permanent endowment 8 million
Auto museum building planning and construction 4 million
Auto acquisitions (with some donated by federal government) 1 million
747 fuselage acquisition (donated by Boeing or an airline) 0
Air Force 1 exhibit outfitting 3 million
LATER PROJECTS TOTAL 16 million
43Funding Model
- The patriotic nature and national scope of the
project lends itself to large-scale fund-raising
at the highest levels, especially federal and
corporate. - Corporate donations
- 7 million
- Raised thru personal appeals, sponsorship of
exhibits and events, VIP reservations - Federal government
- 40 million
- Private donations
- 3 million
- Raised thru advertising appeals, personal
donations, entrance fees - State government
- Road building
- Local government
- Zoning and permits
- Utility service extension
- A substantial degree of public donation and
volunteerism can also be expected.
Its possible that competition among supporters
to provide their preferred presidents with a
higher profile would produce far greater private
donations.
44Next Steps
- Get support from local officials.
- Sponsorship of funding at the federal level
- Recommendations for contacts
- Recommendations for participants in the project
- Form a non-profit organization.
- Create a foundation for funding to be applied to
- Get an architectural firm to draft concept
drawings - Create a communication campaign strategy
- Make first contact with White House historians
- Create a detailed development plan with cost
estimates. - Explore architects, contractors, suppliers
- Pursue broad-based support.
- The White House Historical Association
- State and federal legislators
- General public and news media
- Corporate and major private sources
Presidential libraries might be willing to help
identify possible benefactors.
45Contact
- For more information about this project or this
proposal document, contact - Derek Jensen
- webmaster_at_WhiteHouseMuseum.org
- 574-315-8327
- 364 Pine Crest Dr.
- Bremen, IN 46506