OUR HISTORY
The Hayes Presidential Center, Inc. operates and manages the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center. A non-profit entity, it receives the majority of its funding through the Rutherford B. Hayes–Lucy Webb Hayes Foundation. The State of Ohio also provides an annual appropriation administered through the Ohio Historical Society.
Webb C. Hayes, the second son of Rutherford and Lucy Hayes, endowed the Foundation in 1922. It was Webb who, shortly after the 1893 death of his famous father, started an effort to build a lasting memorial to the 19th President. He deeded the President’s estate (Spiegel Grove) to the State of Ohio and the President’s personal papers and possessions to the Ohio Historical Society contingent on the construction of a “fireproof building” on the grounds of the estate. Webb’s dream came to fruition in 1916 with the opening of what was then called the Hayes Memorial.
However, Webb considered the two-story Ohio sandstone structure of inadequate size to house his father’s collections. He personally funded an addition to structure in 1922, doubling its size. It was at this time that Webb endowed the foundation to fund operation of the facility.
The Hayes Museum/Library underwent a second expansion in 1968. Two wings, built onto the east and west ends of the structure, added 378,498 square feet of space. The project supported expansion of the facility’s educational outreach through increased exhibit and library space, and construction of an auditorium.
In 1981, the facility's name was changed to the Hayes Presidential Center to more accurately represent its mission and programming. The Hayes Presidential Center includes the home, library, museum, tomb, and 25-acre park-like estate (called Spiegel Grove) of 19th U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes. Entrance to the property is through the original gates from the White House.