The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is an impressive building overlooking Boston Harbor. Designed by architect I.M. Pei and dedicated on October 20, 1979, it serves two purposes: to educate the public about the life and work of John F. Kennedy, and to house archival materials for the purposes of research and study.
The Museum Experience:
The museum begins with a short film presentation about Kennedy’s youth, wartime service, and early political years. From there you walk through a cleverly laid-out series of exhibits. The first group chronicles the 1960 Democratic National Convention, the campaign trail, the Kennedy-Nixon debate, election results, and the inauguration.
The museum begins with a short film presentation about Kennedy’s youth, wartime service, and early political years. From there you walk through a cleverly laid-out series of exhibits. The first group chronicles the 1960 Democratic National Convention, the campaign trail, the Kennedy-Nixon debate, election results, and the inauguration.
Passing the presidential seal, you move into the White House corridor. Evocative of the White House interior, this section has displays on the Peace Corps, gifts from other nations, the space program, the civil rights movement, the First Lady, the Kennedy family, work on behalf of the mentally retarded, and a film on the Cuban Missile Crisis, among other things.
For those with fond memories of President Kennedy, the museum can be an emotional experience. And even those who weren’t alive when it happened may get a little teary-eyed in the hallway that displays news footage from November 22, 1963, particularly when a visibly upset Walter Cronkite announces the president’s death.
The final display is a legacy exhibit showing how nations around the world honored Kennedy, and how his work and ideas continue to resonate. As you leave this you enter the impressive 115-foot-high glass pavilion that looks out on the bay, created as a space for quiet reflection. And outside, from May to October, you can see Kennedy’s sailboat Victura.
The museum attempts to put viewers into Kennedy’s time and place by utilizing plenty of small historical details. The segment on the Kennedy-Nixon debate for example is shown on screens in an area that resembles the television studio where it took place, including the actual control panel and television camera used by the Chicago CBS affiliate WBBM-TV for the broadcast. Exhibits change periodically to focus on different aspects of Kennedy’s life.
Research and Study:
The library archives include 400,000 photographs, 11,000 hours of audio recording, 70,000 volumes of printed material, and 8 million feet of film. They also hold more than 8.4 million pages of John F. Kennedy’s personal, congressional, and presidential papers, as well as the papers of Robert F. Kennedy and other people who were associated with the Kennedy Administration and that period of American history. Students and scholars can arrange to do research in the collection, and more than 2,000 researchers visit the library each year. The library also hosts a variety of community and educational programs to promote an understanding of American politics, history, and the importance of public service.
The library archives include 400,000 photographs, 11,000 hours of audio recording, 70,000 volumes of printed material, and 8 million feet of film. They also hold more than 8.4 million pages of John F. Kennedy’s personal, congressional, and presidential papers, as well as the papers of Robert F. Kennedy and other people who were associated with the Kennedy Administration and that period of American history. Students and scholars can arrange to do research in the collection, and more than 2,000 researchers visit the library each year. The library also hosts a variety of community and educational programs to promote an understanding of American politics, history, and the importance of public service.
Information:
- Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day
- Getting There:
MBTA—Take the Red Line to JFK/UMass stop. Free shuttle bus from the T stop.
Driving—Exit 15 off Route 93 North or South and follow signs to the JFK Library. Free parking. - Website: www.jfklibrary.org
Admission:
- Adults: $10
- Seniors/Students: $8
- Youth 13-17: $7
- 12 and under: Free
- Group rates available for 12 or more.