By Sheila Sobell and Richard Every
Standing in the doorway of the full scale replica of the Oval Office
in the William J. Clinton Presidential Center watching an exact reproduction
of the carpet she’d designed being unrolled, Kaki Hockersmith felt the same
awe she’d experienced 12 years earlier. “Just looking at the paintings the
president had selected, his desk and the little collectibles behind it, I
was stunned by the incredible sense of power in that office,” she said.
That’s what thousands of visitors will
experience in Little Rock
after it opens on November 19th.
Four
years after President Clinton left office, he is still making history. His
center is:
·
First to be built with tourism in mind
·
First to offer a graduate degree in public service
·
Biggest in its archival collection of presidential memorabilia, largest in
size, and most expensive in cost
·
Closest to a major interstate highway and downtown metropolitan center
Not only will the Center put Little Rock indelibly on
the world map, but it will transform it into a major travel destination. At
least that’s what its creators have in mind.
“We don’t believe that if you just build it they will come,” said Skip
Rutherford, president of the Clinton Presidential Foundation. “So we spent
$165 million (from privately raised funds); situated it on a major interstate;
created the first graduate school of public service as part of it, and used
it to archive 80,000 artifacts from
his administration.”
But it doesn’t stop there. To revitalize
metropolitan Little Rock,
investors are injecting $1 billion into hotels, a new lite railway system,
restaurants, bars, a $22 million baseball park and an aquarium.
In Little Rock, it’s truly the night before Christmas.
Walking in
the Footsteps of History
“The Center is designed to give insight into
what it was like during the extraordinary years before the turn of the 21st
century,” explained Ralph Applebaum, the consultant who created the exhibits.
“The focus is on his administration’s great policy themes like restoring the
economy from deficit to record surplus. This particular exhibit shows the
status of the economy when he came to office and how he and his team responded.
Because he recalled the families and individuals he met during his campaigns
and presidency, the exhibit demonstrates how his policies affected their lives
as told through interviews and letters.
“As we move through
the Center’s 23 thematic alcoves, we see the work of the first lady; how the
President confronted the conflicts in the Balkans, Middle East and Northern Ireland,
along with the speeches, correspondence and legislation surrounding these
great issues. Upstairs we see what life was like in the private quarters –
Chelsea’s pictures; the President’s
favorite books; his music room, how the family celebrated holidays like Christmas
and Ramadan, and the extraordinarily rich creative performances hosted in
this White House. Throughout the Center, visitors have access to the daily
record of the presidents’ 32 seasons and the opportunity to discover what
was happening in the rest of the world at the same time.”
Central High School (http://www.nps.gov/chsc)
Standing on the steps of Central High School, interpretative guide 24-year
old Spirit Trickey talked about racism and the struggle for black civil rights
from a personal perspective. The daughter of Minnie Jean Brown, one of the
original Little Rock nine who integrated Central High in 1957, Trickey now
works for the Central High School National Historic Site. To commemorate this
historic event in the nation’s history, President Clinton attended the 40th
anniversary ceremony in 1997, then made it part of the national park system.
Touring the site’s Visitor’s Center, watching the video and then visiting
the restored high school across the street offers a poignant reminder of a
time in this country’s history when America
was a symbol of racism around the world.
Arkansas’
first State capitol, this stately old building has its own collection of Clinton memorabilia - his
jogging shoes, sax, a recreated Oval Office, plus some of the gowns that Hilary
wore when he was governor. Particularly
impressive is its breadth of exhibits like the current Send You Back to Arkansas: Our Own Sweet Sounds II on display through
April 2005. Reminiscent of the interactive exhibits at Nashville’s Country Music
Hall of Fame, it brings the music of the state’s blues, jazz, rock n’roll
and folk musicians alive through touch screen DVD kiosks, video and sound
components.
MacArthur Museum
of Arkansas Military History (www.arkmilitaryheritage.com)
This unique museum stakes its claim to fame as the birthplace of General
MacArthur. Don’t miss its moving “Camp
Connections: The Japanese American Experience in World
War II Arkansas”
(until April 2005) which connects anti- Japanese sentiment to anti-Semitism
rampant at the same time.
Arkansas Arts Center
(http://www.arkarts.org)
By emphasizing works on paper from the Renaissance to the present including
Rembrandt, Cezanne, Jackson Pollock, the post-impressionists and post-minimalists,
plus objects in craft media, this small museum has carved out a niche sure
to delight visitors.
Side trip to
Hot Springs
It’s well worth renting a car for the 90 minute drive to Hot Springs, the tiny community where President
Clinton spent his boyhood. Home to Hot Springs National Park
and a number of thermal baths and hotels that still maintain its 19th
century character, downtown’s boutiques, restaurants and gift shops are upbeat
and fun. The Visitor’s and Convention Bureau has compiled a driving tour of
Clinton landmarks including some that once had significance but have been
turned into something else. Despite downtown’s prosperity, residential Hot Springs still appears to be suffering hard
times. Neither the city nor individual property owners have had the money
to restore some of the more important buildings to open them to the public.
Marked with a simple homemade sign “Clinton
was here” and a commemorative marker to his mother, the house at 1011 Park Ave. where Clinton lived from 1954 until high school graduation
is particularly touching. You come away inspired that from exceedingly humble
origins a president was born.
Sidebar: What you’ll See in the Oval Office
Each
president has the option to redecorate the Oval Office. In the Clinton Center’s replica, visitors will see:
·
Colors, textiles and motifs chosen as symbolic emblems of patriotism and historical
themes
·
Thirteen colors woven into the carpet to represent the original 13 colonies.
·
The laurel leaf, originally used to crown the arms of victorious Greek and
Roman soldiers returning from battle. Believed sacred to the god Apollo, it
also was thought to be imbued with divine and protective powers.
·
An olive branch and Presidential Seal centered in the middle of the carpet
and encircled by a double-sided rope representing international unity. This
symbolizes both America’s
world leadership role and world peace.
·
Gold rope framing the carpet’s border signifying America’s
strength, unity and international connection.
·
Draperies incorporating the acanthus leaf pattern, a reproduction of the fabrics
used to decorate George Washington’s Philadelphia residence when
he became president.
Where to Stay
With 126 rooms and five suites, the elegantly restored 128 year old
Capital Hotel (
http://www.thecapitalhotel.com) is
reported to have the best Sunday brunch in town, offers some well- priced
specials, and is a short walk to the main attractions
For a “ducky” experience, check out The
Peabody
(
Little Rock (www.PeabodyLittleRock.com),
just across the street from the Capital and overlooking the river. Renovated
with the meeting and conventions market in mind, the hotel has just hired
a new general manager and head of food and beverage.
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