History & Education

Item Description

"The [Ford] Museum in Grand Rapids Michigan has agreed to donate 4 passes and I am happy to serve as a tour guide. Museum tells Ford's life story using artifacts, interactive exhibits & a replica of the Oval Office. The tour will be during regular Museum hours at a mutually-agreed upon date."  Clare Shubert

Clare Shubert
Director of Engagement and Programming 
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation
DeVos Learning Center

303 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504      616-254-0400 

Hours of Operation
Open Monday - Saturday. 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Open Sunday, 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Closed: New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day

"The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is the presidential museum and resting place of Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States (1974–1977), and his wife Betty Ford, located near the Campus of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Ford's presidential museum is the only such facility under the auspices of the National Archives and Records Administration to be separate from the presidential library, which is located approximately 130 miles (210 km) to the east in Ann Arbor. Despite the separation, the library and museum are a single institution with one director." 

"The 44,000-square-foot (4,100 m²) two-story triangular museum was designed by Marvin DeWinter Associates and built at a cost of $11 million. The museum is one of the highlights in a 20-acre (8.1 ha) 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 TV broadcast.^[1] The east side of the structure is enclosed by a 300-foot-wide (91 m) 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 core exhibits were completely redesigned as part of a major building expansion completed in 1997 allowing for a broader program of changing feature exhibits and events. Expanded funding from the Gerald R. Ford Foundation supported the expansion and expanded programming."

"The main floor contains exhibits on President Ford's life and career and the Office of President. Candid photographs of Ford interacting with his family and colleagues offer the visitor a personal glimpse of the president. This floor includes a full-scale replica of the Oval Office furnished as it was during Ford's presidency.^[2]

 

President Ford with President and   Mrs. Reagan  in the replica of the   Oval Office  at the Gerald R. Ford Museum. September 17, 1981.

Special exhibits highlight the 1976 Bicentennial celebration^[3] and Mrs. Ford's role during her husband's term in office. Other exhibits, which are the core of the museum's program, enable visitors to travel by video with President Ford and Secretary Kissinger to various hot-spots around the globe; take a holographic tour of the Ford White House; and experience a day in the Oval Office through a sound and light show. A Watergate gallery 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. Visitors can see 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.^[4]

In addition to the permanent exhibits, a succession of temporary exhibits draws upon the rich holdings of the entire Presidential libraries system, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives, and others."