1412 West Ohio Midland, TX 79701
(432) 685-1112 |Call us today for more information
on the Bush family museum!
The George W. Bush Childhood
Home
This home is one of the Nation's first 1950s residential restorations. The Department of Interior's 50-year standard for initial consideration for the National Registers means that few buildings from 1953 or later have been considered.
A few museums and exhibits have addressed the 1950s; examples being the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont, and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum's Davy Crockett Exhibit last year. However, this may be the first true 1950s historic home restoration and is certainly the first Presidential Home from the 1950s.
The period is fun to interpret and tells us a great deal about the influential childhood years of a generation. In 2001, George Bush Childhood Home, Inc., the nonprofit entity that owns and manages the Bush Childhood Home, purchased the historic home and a neighboring home, which currently serves as the visitor center, gift shop and administrative office.
In July of 2003 it passed the $1,000,000 mark in fundraising. After 5 years of research, documentation and restoration, the home was officially dedicated on April 11, 2006. Former President George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush gave opening remarks at this event attended by several hundred people. Since then the home has received over 30,000 visitors from every state, and over 60 foreign countries. Stop by and visit the Bush museum today, if you are in the Midland, TX area!
Walking through the Bush
museum, you will find artifacts used by the Bush family
and be able to see how the layout of their house was while George
Bush was growing up in Midland, TX.
Are you taking your family on a
vacation near Midland, TX? Why not make it education? Stop at the
Bush Family Museum and give your children some background on George
Bush and the rest of the Bush family.
National and State Recognitions:
A comprehensive Historic Structure Report for the preservation
of the Bush Childhood Home was completed and delivered to the Texas
Historical Commission. This detailed document addressed the
potential preservation and goals of the Project as well as the
history of the Home and the Bush Family. The
Master Plan/Historic Structure Report was partially funded by the
Texas Historical Commission and the National Trust for Historic
Preservation. The Bush family home is now on The National Register
of Historic Places and is a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark. The
Texas Historical Commission Marker was dedicated in August of
2008.
Site Plan:
TBG Partners, a Texas-based
landscape architecture firm, worked with Herndon, Stauch &
Associates and Rhotenberry Wellen Architects to develop the
comprehensive Site Plan for the Project.
The Plan incorporates the two adjacent neighborhood homes in Midland, TX owned by George W. Bush Childhood Home, Inc., as well as the leased parking area at the end of the block. Most significant to the Bush Childhood Home, itself, it included replicating the Bush Yard as it was between 1951 and 1956. Phase I of the Project includes the parts of the Site Plan immediately around the Home.
How Challenging was This
Restoration?
It was quite a challenge! The Bush
family home had the majority of its original architectural details
intact, so a true restoration was possible. However, every detail
presented a challenge in this small house.
From the foundation, to the roof, every aspect of the house required attention after years of alterations, and the impact of natural deterioration. You name it and we found it: hazardous materials, water damage, floor patching, a bathroom addition, heavy paint on the interior natural pine paneling, roof structure issues, and a long list of restoration and preservation details that were faithfully addressed to recreate the 1950s era. This small house was lovingly brought back to its earlier life as a home to the great American Bush family.
Stop by the Bush family
home in Midland,
TX today to learn more about George Bush and the Bush
family. For more information, visit our website at www.bushchildhoodhome.org!
In 2001, George W. Bush Childhood Home, Inc., the nonprofit entity that owns and manages the Bush Childhood Home, purchased the historic home, and a neighboring home which currently serves as the visitor center, gift shop and administrative office. In July of 2003 it passed the $1,000,000 mark in fundraising. After 5 years of research, documentation and restoration, the home was officially dedicated on April 11, 2006. Former President George H. and W. Bush, Barbara Bush, and Laura Bush gave opening remarks at this event attended by several hundred people. Since then the home has received over 30,000 visitors from every state and over 60 foreign countries.