One day President Barack Obama will have a Presidential Museum & Library, most likely to be located in Chicago, but until that moment happens we will just have to make due with all the other Presidential Museums & Libraries. Besides driving right by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum when I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I’ve only ever seen one in person. That would be the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, which was surprisingly well done, but that’s probably because it had lots of money to create something interesting. I know traditionalists don’t like it, but I think the goal should be to make museums less boring. Even if you hated the movie version, I guarantee you will like this museum…or at least not be bored or get shot by John Wilkes Booth. Anyway, if you want to see all the U.S. Presidents together, there’s only one place to go. Unfortunately you have to go to South Dakota. Sorry! All 43 men (damn Grover Cleveland for serving non-consecutive terms) who acted as commander-in-chief are represented as life-size bronze statutes over several blocks of downtown Rapid City. The series, known as “The City of Presidents”, was created by five local artists; Edward E. Hlavka, Lee Leuning, John Lopez, James Michael Maher and James Van Nuys; over a ten year period between 2000 and 2010. George W. Bush is depicted holding Barney the Dog and giving an enthusiastic thumbs up to no one, while William McKinley takes a phone call from his friend who won’t shut the hell up. Even though John F. Kennedy should be walking with Marilyn Monroe instead of his son John John, I’ll forgive the mistake. Looking a bit depressed, Benjamin Harrison feeds the birds as he sits on a lonely park bench. Is this what he’s been doing all these years? Totally forget about him. I think my personal favorites are Mr. Burns…oops I mean Richard Nixon, who looks like he’s getting ready to concoct his next sinister plot, and Harry S. Truman, who looks more than happy to recreate the “Dewey Defeats Truman” moment over and over again. Oh, that’s Rutherford B. Hayes walking into obscurity in the above photo. And if you’re looking for the current president – Obama the Presidential Statue is coming soon to a Rapid City nearest you.
The City of Presidents
