Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum Reopening Press Kit

This press kit may serve as a ready-made collection of information and high-resolution images for use by journalists in their stories.

To schedule an interview or for more information, please contact hoover.library@nara.gov.

The newly reimagined Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is set to welcome visitors beginning Thursday, August 6, 2026.

This is the newest museum experience across the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration’s Presidential Library system, offering an open invitation to new and returning visitors to discover Iowa’s only Presidential Library and Museum.

Beginning Friday, August 7, 2026, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum will return to normal operations, open daily from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., excluding Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Reserved tickets are now available for August 7, 2026 and beyond. Reserved tickets available online are strongly encouraged, but tickets will remain available for purchase at the Museum for visitors arriving day-of.

The Hoover Library and Museum, sharing the impactful lives and legacies of President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, reopens to provide a memorable experience for visitors across the state to around the world, using new research, new technologies, and new innovations.

Expanding our reach

As part of the first major renovation of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum since 1992, the Hoover Library and Museum now features an all-new façade at the front of the building, along with a small expansion to the main lobby and gift shop. The new entrance and expansion features limestone from Anamosa, Iowa- the same quarry and ledge used in original construction in 1961, and the last renovation in 1992.

The lobby now features an open space for groups and visitors to gather prior to, or after completing, their trip through the Museum space.

Follow your own path

The Story Hub invites visitors to make a choice as they make their way through the galleries.

The experience unfolds in two chronological journeys. Years of Adventure traces the Hoovers' early lives: from West Branch and Waterloo, Iowa, to Stanford where they meet, through Bert's mining career and Lou's geology work, their marriage, 14 years crisscrossing the globe together, and the outbreak of WWI.

Years of Service picks up from there: Belgian war relief, the founding of the Hoover Institution, the Secretary of Commerce years, the presidency—defined by the Great Depression and Hoover's efforts to combat it—decades of post-presidency service, and a closing "Uncommon Iowans Gallery" reflecting on the Hoovers' legacy of leadership.

Years of Adventure

The Years of Adventure highlights the early lives of Herbert and Lou Hoover, from their early Iowa days in West Branch and Waterloo, to attending Stanford University, to their global travels following Herbert Hoover's mining career and beyond.

Meet Bert & Lou Hoover

Guests step into West Branch, Iowa in the late 1800s and meet Bert and Lou as individuals -- two separate Midwestern childhoods, both bound for Stanford.

Together and Apart

Their courtship and marriage at Stanford, and the long absences of Herbert's early mining career that tested and forged their partnership.

Life on the Jump

14 years, four continents and a growing family: the Hoovers' itinerant life as Herbert's engineering work carried them from China to Australia and back again.

A New Calling

When war broke out in 1914, thousands of Americans were stranded in Europe overnight. Herbert, with Lou’s help, stepped in to help them get home, launching a lifetime of humanitarian relief and public service.

Years of Service

The Years of Adventure highlights the early lives of Herbert and Lou Hoover, from their early Iowa days in West Branch and Waterloo, to attending Stanford University, to their global travels following Herbert Hoover's mining career and beyond.

Food Will Win the War

Hoover's leadership of the Commission for Relief in Belgium and the U.S. Food Administration, rallying a nation to conserve food and feed millions caught in the war's path.

American Individualism

A film bringing to life Hoover's defining political philosophy: voluntary cooperation over centralized control.

Secretary of Commerce & The Girl Scouts

Herbert's transformative run at the Commerce Department during the Roaring Twenties, ushering in a decade of unprecedented growth and progress, told alongside Lou's parallel leadership as national president of the Girl Scouts.

From West Branch to the White House

An Iowa farm boy's improbable climb to the 1928 election and the presidency.

The Presidency

Hoover's 1929–1933 term, defined by the onset of the Great Depression. The gallery's centerpiece, A War on 1,000 Fronts, walks visitors through the crisis's causes and Hoover's efforts to combat it.

Post Presidency

Decades of continued public service after leaving office, from WWII-era relief work to leading major government reform commissions.

Images and video for media use

Members of the media are welcome to download the high resolution scans and photographs provided above. Please credit images to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum unless otherwise noted.

For more information, please refer to the following resources:

• Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum reopening press release, including gallery of construction images and videos

For media inquiries, please contact via email at hoover.library@nara.gov.

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About the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is one of 16 presidential libraries that are part of the National Archives and Records Administration. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum tells the story of the life and times of Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States. It is located just off Interstate 80 at Exit 254, 10 miles east of Iowa City, the Presidential Library and Museum is found within the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, a 187-acre park administered by the National Park Service. There is an admission fee to tour the galleries. For more information, visit https://hoover.archives.gov or call 319-259-8331

About the Hoover Presidential Foundation

The Hoover Presidential Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and advancing the legacy of Herbert Hoover through support of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum and Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa. The Foundation promotes leadership, service, and civic responsibility while sharing Hoover's humanitarian impact and enduring contributions with new generations. Visit us online at https://hooverpresidentialfoundation.org