The Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens in Omaha is a memorial to the 38th president of the United States which includes a colonnade; a rose garden that was modeled after the one at the White House in the District of Columbia; and a kiosk that was modeled after the turret of the original house and contains information about the birth site and presidential mementos.
Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens in Omaha
Leslie Lynch King Junior was born as an only child on Monday, July 14, 1913 at a three-story Victorian mansion with 14 rooms where his parents lived with his paternal grandparents at 3202 Woolworth Avenue in Omaha. His parents divorced later that year; and after his mother remarried, the boy was renamed Gerald Rudolff Ford Junior after his stepfather even though he was never formally adopted; and he was raised in Grand Rapids in Michigan.
As the result of a fire which caused substantial damage to the house in 1971, it was completely razed afterwards. A businessman who lived in the neighborhood purchased the vacant lot for $17,250.00 after Gerald R. Ford became president of the United States in 1974, and planned for it to be used as a memorial. Although the site was donated to the city of Omaha, no money was purportedly available to build a memorial. A foundation was created by the businessman to fund the memorial and associated gardens.
The memorial was officially dedicated in 1977. The former president of the United States returned to the site in 1980 for the dedication of a rose garden in honor of his wife Betty Ford.
Busts of both Gerald Ford and Betty Ford are on permanent display on the grounds as well.
Beneath a plate on the grounds are documents, mementoes, and artifacts which depicted the way of life in Omaha and in the United States and were sealed back in 1976, to be uncovered, reviewed, and placed on temporary display one hundred years later in the year 2076 for the celebration of the tricentennial of the country.
Final Boarding Call
While I was listening to Musicradio 77 through Rewound Radio on Memorial Day earlier today, Monday, May 29, 2023, I heard the recording of a news broadcast from February of 1975 when Gerald R. Ford was president of the United States; and I thought about writing this article for today — especially after he served in the Naval Reserve of the United States in the 1940s.
Free parking for vehicles is available on the street.
No admission is charged to visit Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens. No facilities are available at the site.
Visiting the Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens — which is located in a quiet area on the border of the neighborhoods of Hanscom Park and Field Club of Midtown Omaha — is one of several interesting things to do in the greater Omaha metropolitan area.
Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens
3212 Woolworth Avenue
Omaha, Nebraska 68105
402-444-5900
Open daily from 7:30 in the morning through 9:00 in the evening.
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All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
