Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum aims to commence renovations by 2025, reopen by 2026

After more than a 30-year wait, The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch will see much-needed contemporary renovations next year.  Though the renovations were initially announced in 2021 and expected to finish by this year, the official reopening date has been pushed to summer 2026. Thomas Schwartz, the director of the Hoover […]

After more than a 30-year wait, The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch will see much-needed contemporary renovations next year.  Though the renovations were initially announced in 2021 and expected to finish by this year, the official reopening date has been pushed to summer 2026. Thomas Schwartz, the director of the Hoover Museum, said this will be right in time for the United States’ 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.  Currently, the renovation campaign has accumulated $16 million of the $20.3 million needed to update the museum building. 

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) oversees multiple presidential museums and libraries, but does not assist with funding efforts. A policy enacted as part of the 1955 Presidential Libraries Act dictates that all presidential museums and libraries must be funded with private or non-federal funds donated to a nonprofit — in this case, the Hoover Presidential Foundation.  Construction is expected to commence as soon as the rest of the funding is secured, and when design plans are finalized. Mr. Schwartz said they will likely begin in early 2025, with the museum closing for 12-16 months while renovations are underway. Museum staff and NARA are working with museum design company BRC Imagination Arts to oversee the renovations. Mr. Schwartz said BRC submitted an 80% complete schematic design earlier this month, which lays out the “storyline” of each exhibit gallery to solidify what is needed in terms of design. The renovations will completely redo the majority of the current museum, which has not been changed since 1992. The only part that will remain the same is the central rotunda, which features a world map on the floor of all the places the Hoovers impacted, as well as two illuminated glass portraits of the former president.

The renovations will rework the “journey” visitors go on when exploring the museum, Mr. Schwartz said, splitting it into two portions: one examining Hoover’s early life up until the 1928 election, and another focusing on his presidency, post-presidency, and legacy.  Mr. Schwartz said the renovations will also increase interactivity and accessibility within the planned galleries, as well as to emphasize Herbert Hoover’s wife, Lou Henry Hoover. Although Eleanor Roosevelt is often credited with being the original First Lady to take an active role in advocacy and politics, Mr. Schwartz said, Lou Henry accomplished an incredible amount before and after her husband became president.  Currently, Lou Henry does have her own gallery, but the renovations will expand her presence throughout the Hoover Museum. 

“More than most other presidents, it was a partnership throughout their life,” Mr. Schwartz said. “Typically, presidential libraries and museums focus on the president, they'll give a gallery to the First Lady. But this is different.”  In addition, the museum will make certain changes so that guests can easily learn and take away more from their entire visit. For example, the fonts of certain signs and panels will be updated to be easier to read, and newer technology like LED lights will illuminate artifact cases. Mr. Schwartz said an emphasis will be placed on interactivity, allowing guests to engage with the Hoovers’ lives in a new way.  “So in the new renovation, you'll actually have galleries that will be immersive, where you can walk into Hoover's mind. Kids are very tactile, that's how they learn. But so are adults,” he said. “And so if you recreate environments that people can touch, then it makes it more memorable.” Although the 31st U.S. President is usually associated with the Great Depression, Mr. Schwartz said the museum aims to educate people on Hoover’s life as a whole, particularly the extensive activism and hunger relief efforts Hoover accomplished before getting elected.

“The presidency is really not the pinnacle of his career and achievement. A lot of that occurs before the presidency and after the presidency,” Mr. Schwartz said. “So those parts are very important for the public to know rather than the presidency itself — not that he didn't do anything during his presidency — but it was limited by the Depression.” The former president’s 150th birthday is coming up on August 10, providing an opportunity for the museum to hold a ceremonial groundbreaking on the museum construction. Mr. Schwartz said the birthday celebration will draw in visitors and the West Branch community, as well as feature Hoover family descendants and biographers of the former president’s life.

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