Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum to reopen after major renovation

WEST BRANCH, Iowa (KWQC) - After nearly two years behind closed doors, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is preparing to welcome visitors back with a completely reimagined museum experience.

The West Branch museum has undergone a major renovation and expansion aimed at telling the story of Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover, in a more immersive and interactive way.

The project was made possible through a $20.3 million fundraising campaign led by the Hoover Presidential Foundation, according to museum leaders.

The renovation includes a 2,300-square-foot expansion of the lobby and a complete redesign of the museum’s permanent exhibit galleries.

Visitors who have toured the museum in the past will notice a different approach to the story.

Rather than following a single timeline, the new exhibits trace the parallel lives of Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover through their childhoods, marriage and decades of humanitarian work around the world.

Museum Director Tom Schwartz said the redesigned museum focuses on creating a more engaging experience for visitors.

“It’s an experiential museum,” Schwartz said. “By that we mean people who come in, we’re going to engage them immediately, both their head and their heart, in the story.”

Interactive exhibits allow visitors to explore history through sight, sound and even smell.

Some displays recreate foods served during Hoover’s humanitarian feeding programs, allowing guests to experience the aromas associated with meals provided to children during World War I relief efforts.

Museum leaders said one of the most important themes highlighted throughout the exhibits is the Hoovers’ humanitarian legacy.

From 1914 until Herbert Hoover’s death in 1964, Schwartz said the couple played a role in feeding nearly 100 million people affected by war and famine around the world.

Unlike many presidential museums that focus primarily on a president’s time in office, Schwartz said Hoover’s most significant accomplishments occurred both before and after his presidency.

“Unlike most presidential museums where the presidency is kind of the pinnacle of that person’s life, with Hoover, his major accomplishments occur before and after the presidency,” Schwartz said.

The museum is scheduled to officially reopen Aug. 6. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held that afternoon, followed by free admission for visitors on opening day.

The reopening comes amid renewed attention on presidential libraries nationwide. Following the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago and the July 4 debut of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum will become the third major presidential library to open or reopen this summer.