$106 Million Rased for George Washington Presidential Library

The nation’s first president is finally getting his own library.

The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association announced today that it has raised over $106 million for the construction and support of The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon.

“No president in American history deserves the honor of an official library more than our first chief executive,” said Curt Viebranz, Mount Vernon president. “This library will share Washington’s leadership lessons for generations to come.”

The 45,000-square-foot library will hold original books and manuscripts from the president, as well as serving as a center for scholarly research and educational outreach.

The library is set to open on September 27, 2013, and will be located on a fifteen-acre site just outside the main entrance of the Mount Vernon estate.

“This new library will help us to maintain and advance George Washington’s timeless relevance in our fast-changing world,” said Ann Bookout, the Ladies’ Association regent.

Presidential libraries are a foregone conclusion for modern administrations. The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum opened earlier this year and a competition is heating up for the location of President Barack Obama’s library after he leaves office in 2016.

Unlike other presidential libraries, this new facility is completely funded by private contributions and will receive no government support.

Funding for the library began in 2010 with a $38 million donation from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, and closed on June 30, 2013 when the Ladies’ Association exceeded its $100 million goal for the library.

“We are humbled and honored that so many people responded to this appeal, which only further validates the work that the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association has taken on board to give George Washington the library he himself never had a chance to build,” Viebranz said.