The Warren G. Harding Presidential Library and Museum is the

presidential library A presidential library, presidential center, or presidential museum is a facility either created in honor of a former president and containing their papers, or affiliated with a country's presidency. In the United States * The presidential libr ...

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

, the 29th

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

(1921–1923). It was scheduled to open on September 4, 2020; followed by a formal dedication ceremony later on September 18, 2020. However, the opening was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The library was officially opened to the public May 12, 2021. It is located in

Marion, Ohio Marion is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Ohio, Marion County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 35,999 at the 2020 United S ...

, adjacent to the

Harding Home The Harding Home is a historic house museum at 380 Mount Vernon Avenue in Marion, Ohio. It was the residence of Warren G. Harding, twenty-ninth president of the United States. Harding and his future wife, Florence, designed the Queen Anne Style ...

, the

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

of the former president. The 2020 scheduled completion date was set to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Warren G. Harding's win in the 1920 presidential election. The $7.5 million project was announced on April 12, 2016, by Harding 2020, a collaboration between the Harding Home,

Marion Technical College Marion Technical College, (Marion Tech or MTC) is a public technical college in Marion, Ohio. It shares a campus with Ohio State University at Marion. Founded in 1970 with classes beginning in 1971, MTC has awarded over 7,500 associate degrees ...

, and the

Ohio History Connection Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connec ...

. Both of Ohio's U.S. Senators,

Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell Brown (; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Ohio, a seat which he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Ohio's ...

and

Rob Portman Robert Jones Portman (born December 19, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Ohio since 2011. A member of the Republican Party ...

, are honorary co-chairs of the project. Plans included the construction of the 15,000-square-foot center and museum. The center has interactive exhibits of the former president, as well as meeting space. The center houses artifacts and memorabilia that were once owned by the former president and his wife

Florence Harding Florence Mabel Harding (née Kling; August 15, 1860 – November 21, 1924) was the first lady of the United States from 1921 until her husband's death in 1923 as the wife of President Warren G. Harding. Florence first married Pete De Wolfe ...

. In addition, the center houses Harding's presidential papers, which were previously stored at the Ohio History Connection's headquarters in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, since 1963. About $1.3 million will also be spent to restore the Harding Home and its grounds to reflect how they appeared in 1920. Sherry Hall, manager of the Harding Home, told ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' that the center will help inform visitors about Harding's presidency beyond the single paragraph found in most textbooks. "Quite frankly, this president deserves for his story to be told," stated Hall.

References

External links

* Presidential Center

Harding Harding may refer to: People *Harding (surname) *Maureen Harding Clark (born 1946), Irish jurist Places Australia * Harding River Iran * Harding, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province South Africa * Harding, KwaZulu-Natal United Sta ...

Buildings and structures in Marion, Ohio Museums in Marion County, Ohio Ohio History Connection Presidential museums in Ohio Tourist attractions in Marion County, Ohio Proposed buildings and structures in the United States {{Ohio-struct-stub