John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Presidential library and museum in Dorchester, Boston, United States
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, designed by I. M. Pei, stands on Columbia Point as two joined volumes: a sharply pointed, pale stone-clad tower with rows of narrow vertical openings, and a lower rectangular wing whose upper section is a dark glass curtain wall in a visible grid. Below the glass, a broad white base wall bears the inscription "John F. Kennedy" above a recessed glass entrance.
The facility opened in 1979 under President Carter to preserve and present documents, photographs, and objects from John F. Kennedy's presidency to the public. Planning for the building began in the 1960s, but construction was delayed by debates over the location.
The museum's first floor holds a recreated Oval Office and a replica of Robert F. Kennedy's office as attorney general, plus three theatres, one showing a documentary on the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Hemingway collection, established in 1968, holds about ninety percent of existing Hemingway manuscripts, making the library the main research centre on his work. From May to October, Kennedy's 25-foot sailboat Victura stands on the grounds.
Researchers can access more than 300,000 photographs, millions of documents, and thousands of audio recordings related to the Kennedy administration through the archive system. The exhibition spaces are wheelchair accessible, and the building offers several terraces with water views.
The museum displays personal items from the Kennedy family, including the president's rocking chair and objects from his desk in the White House. The library also houses an archive of Robert Kennedy's speeches and correspondence from his time as attorney general.
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