If you have a hankering to explore the eastern Iowa facility which honors the only American president who was born in Iowa, you need to move quickly.
Work will begin next week on a $20-million make-over, inside and out, for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch. Director Tom Schwartz says once the doors are locked this Sunday evening, they won’t open to the public again until mid-2026.
“We will be closing the museum for at least an 18-month period to completely reimagine Herbert Hoover’s life, as well as Lou Henry Hoover’s life,” Schwartz says. “It’ll be a completely different museum experience than what you see now.”
Schwartz says the facility is due for a top-to-bottom renovation, which will include building a new 2,200-square foot addition. The museum first opened in 1962 and hasn’t had a full remodel since the early 1990s, so every gallery will be gutted. When it reopens, First Lady Lou Hoover will be featured more prominently.
“Certainly there’s been so much more research done on Hoover and his times, and especially on Mrs. Hoover,” Schwartz says. “Her papers really weren’t accessible until 1985 and so the people doing the museum in ’92 didn’t have a lot of research on her to reference.”
Hoover lived a fascinating life and the museum’s current exhibits tell the story — from his birth, to his life as an engineer, the Secretary of Commerce, the 31st President of the United States, and his continued philanthropic work after leaving the White House. Schwartz says the re-envisioned museum will tell those same stories, but with more artifacts and updated, user-friendly technology.
“All of the cabinetry currently in the museum is curved because the only monitors that were available in ’92 were cathode ray tubes, which were curved,” Schwartz says, “and of course, now everything’s on a flat screen.” Also, the new display cases will be lit with brighter, more energy-efficient LEDs.
Anyone who’s ever overseen a renovation project on their house knows it may take longer than expected, as unforeseen challenges tend to arise. The goal is to reopen the museum in about 18 months, but that’s flexible.
“To be safe, we’re just saying summer of 2026,” Schwartz says. “Obviously, we’d like to be open by July 4th, because that’s the 250th anniversary of our nation and the Declaration of Independence. We’re hoping we can meet that date so we could celebrate with the rest of the country.”
The full price tag on the renovation project is $20.3-million dollars, a large portion of which has already been raised by the Hoover Presidential Foundation. To learn more or contribute, visit: timelessvaluescampaign.org.