Jimmy Carter Library and Museum

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Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
Official logo of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.svg
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.jpg
Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
General information
Location Atlanta, Georgia, US
Coordinates 33°45′59″N84°21′23″W / 33.76639°N 84.35639°W / 33.76639; -84.35639
Named for Jimmy Carter
Construction startedOctober 2, 1984
InauguratedDedicated on October 1, 1986
Cost$26 million USD
Management National Archives and Records Administration, Carter Center
Technical details
Size69,750 sq ft (6,480 m2)
Website
www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov

The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, houses U.S. President Jimmy Carter's papers and other material relating to the Carter administration and the Carter family's life. The library also hosts special exhibits, such as Carter's Nobel Peace Prize and a full-scale replica of the Oval Office as it was during the Carter Administration, including a reproduction of the Resolute desk.

Contents

The Carter Library and Museum includes some parts that are owned and administered by the federal government, and some that are privately owned and operated. The library and museum are run by the National Archives and Records Administration and are part of the presidential library system of the federal government. Privately owned areas house Carter's offices and the offices of the Carter Center, a non-profit human rights agency.

The building housing the library and museum makes up 69,750 square feet (6,480 square metres), with 15,269 square feet (1,418.5 square metres) of space for exhibits and 19,818 square feet (1,841.2 square metres) of archive and storage space. The library stacks house 27 million pages of documents; 500,000 photos, and 40,000 objects, along with films, videos, and audiotapes. These collections cover all areas of the Carter administration, from foreign and domestic policy to the personal lives of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Mrs. Rosalynn Carter.

The complex is situated next to John Lewis Freedom Parkway, which was originally called "Presidential Parkway" (and at one point, "Jimmy Carter Parkway" [1] ) in its planning stages. The land on which the museum sits was a part of General Sherman's headquarters during the Civil War's Battle of Atlanta. [2]

Although President Herbert Hoover and almost all Presidents since (except John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson) have chosen to be buried at their presidential museum, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter chose to instead be interred on the grounds of their home in Plains, Georgia. [3] The Carters also planned for their home, which is owned by the National Park Service and is part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, to be converted into a museum. [4]

History

The library viewed from within the museum Jimmy Carter Library.png
The library viewed from within the museum

Early in his administration, Carter indicated interest in having his presidential library be built in Georgia. [5] The site chosen was in the Poncey–Highland neighborhood of Atlanta, on land that had been acquired by the state of Georgia Department of Transportation, for an interchange between two redundant highways that were cancelled by Carter when he was governor of Georgia, in response to the Atlanta freeway revolts. (See Interstate 485, Georgia 400, Interstate 675, and the Stone Mountain Freeway.)

The Atlanta firm of Jova/Daniels/Busby was selected as architects, in cooperation with Lawton/Umemura/Yamamoto of Hawaii. During design and construction, Carter's papers were temporarily housed at the former post office building in downtown Atlanta. [5] Construction commenced on October 2, 1984, and the library was opened to the public on Carter's 62nd birthday, October 1, 1986. Construction cost $26 million, funded by private contributions. [5]

A $10 million renovation of the museum began in April 2009 with completion on President Carter's 85th birthday in October 2009. [6]

The first director of the library and museum was Dr. Donald Schewe, who originally assisted with the transfer and processing of the Carter Administration materials at the end of Carter's term in early 1981. [7]

Since 2015, the current director is Dr. Meredith Evans, an Atlanta native who had held various leadership positions in special collections and libraries in institutions such as Washington University in St. Louis and George Washington University. [8]

The library and museum offers free admission to all students 16 and under. They can either go on a docent or self-guided tour. Together the library and The Coca-Cola Foundation have established funding for the library to provide transportation funds for all Georgia schools to use when bringing students to the museum for education activities. [9]

Following her death, Rosalynn Carter laid in repose at the library on November 27, 2023. [10] [11] A year later, Jimmy Carter was also laid in repose at the library from January 4 to 7 before being sent to Washington, D.C. for the state funeral. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Carter</span> President of the United States from 1977 to 1981

James Earl Carter Jr. was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967. He was the longest-lived president in U.S. history and the first to reach the age of 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plains, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosalynn Carter</span> First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Carter National Historical Park</span> National Historical Park of the United States in Georgia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter House</span> Home in Plains, Georgia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter</span> 2025 funeral of the 39th U.S. president

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References

  1. "Freedom Parkway to open". Rome News-Tribune . September 15, 1994. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  2. Carlson, Adam. "Guide to visiting the Carter Presidential Center". ajc. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  3. The Washington Post (subscription required)
  4. "E&E News: Jimmy Carter, Park Service prepare for 'life after death'".
  5. 1 2 3 History of the Jimmy Carter Library, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum, archived from the original on April 13, 2017, retrieved April 25, 2017
  6. Bluestein, Greg. "Revamped Carter museum to reopen in Atlanta". San Diego Union Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  7. The Carter Center: Annual Report 1982-1988 (PDF). Atlatnta: Carter Center. 1988. p. 91.
  8. "National Archives Selects Former Atlantan to Head Carter Presidential Library". National Archives. August 15, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  9. "The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum". www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov.
  10. Maxouris, Christina (November 27, 2023). "Rosalynn Carter lies in repose in Atlanta as the world shares final goodbyes". CNN. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  11. Hurt, Emma; Saric, Ivana (November 27, 2023). "Rosalynn Carter lies in repose in Atlanta". Axios. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  12. "State Funeral for former President Jimmy Carter: Sequence of Events for Jan. 4, 2025" (Press release). Joint Task Force-National Capital Region. January 3, 2025.

Further reading