Presidents Park
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  Presidents Park Presidents Park was located in Southeastern Virginia | |
| Established | March 2004 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | September 30, 2010 |
| Location | Williamsburg VA, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°15′39″N 76°38′42″W / 37.26083°N 76.64500°W |
| Type | Sculpture park |
| Collections | Busts of the first 43 presidents, spread over 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
Presidents Park was a ten-acre sculpture park and associated indoor museum formerly located in Williamsburg, Virginia in the United States. It contained 18-to-20-foot (5.5 to 6.1 m) high busts of the Presidents of the United States from George Washington to George W. Bush.[1]
The statues were sculpted by Houston artist David Adickes,[1] who was inspired as he drove past Mount Rushmore when returning from a trip to Canada.[2] The park was opened in March 2004 by local visitor attraction entrepreneur Everette H."Haley" Newman III, who had been slowly taking delivery of the busts since 2000.[3]
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The park had financial troubles and was closed on September 30, 2010.[4] Creditors put the park up for auction (not including the busts) on September 28, 2012 after a foreclosure auction originally scheduled for April 26, 2012 was cancelled without explanation.[5] By January 10, 2013, the busts had been moved to private storage at a nearby local farm in Croaker, Virginia by Howard Hankins.[6] In 2017, National Geographic showcased a video in which Mr Hankins' expresses a hope to rehabilitate the statues for a park in the future.[7][8]
Similar park near Deadwood, South Dakota
Artist David Adickes sculpted a second set of Presidential busts. They were placed on display at a similar outdoor park museum setting in Lead near Deadwood, South Dakota which was operated by the artist himself, until it too closed after financial difficulties.
Some of the South Dakota busts could still be seen in 2015 at various RV parks and hotels around the Dakotas.
- The busts of Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush are located near Mount Rushmore at the Southern Hills RV Park and Campground in Hermosa, South Dakota.
- President Abraham Lincoln's bust graces the Lincoln RV Park on U.S. 85 south of Williston, North Dakota.
- President Theodore Roosevelt's bust is stationed at the Roosevelt Inn in Watford City, North Dakota.
Sources
- ^ a b "Presidents Park". Visitwilliamsburg.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ "Answer Man learns the fate of Virginia's colossal commanders in chief". Washington Post. May 14, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ "Following the Leaders". Washington Post. July 19, 2004. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ "Presidents Park Closing Sale". September 14, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ "Presidents Park Set For Auction". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ "Man saves President's Park busts". LIN Television Corporation WAVY-TV Channel 10 Williamsburg, VA. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
- ^ "Why Is This Field Full of Huge Presidents?". National Geographic. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ "Why Is This Field Full of Huge Presidents? | Short Film Showcase".
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- Buildings and monuments honoring American Presidents in the United States
- Museums in Williamsburg, Virginia
- Art museums in Virginia
- Presidential museums in Virginia
- Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in the United States
- Parks in Williamsburg, Virginia
- Defunct museums in Virginia
- 2004 establishments in Virginia
- Museums established in 2004
- 2010 disestablishments in Virginia
- Museums disestablished in 2010
- Virginia museum stubs