Presidents Park

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]

For the park with a similar name in Washington, D.C., see President's Park.

Presidents Park
Presidents Park
Presidents Park was located in Southeastern Virginia
EstablishedMarch 2004 (2004-03)
DissolvedSeptember 30, 2010 (2010-09-30)
LocationWilliamsburg VA, U.S.
Coordinates37°15′39″N 76°38′42″W
TypeSculpture park
CollectionsBusts of the first 43 presidents, spread over 10 acres (4.0 ha)

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]

Busts of Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon

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.

Sources
  1. "Presidents Park". Visitwilliamsburg.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  2. "Answer Man learns the fate of Virginia's colossal commanders in chief". Washington Post. May 14, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  3. "Following the Leaders". Washington Post. July 19, 2004. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  4. "Presidents Park Closing Sale". September 14, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  5. "Presidents Park Set For Auction". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  6. "Man saves President's Park busts". LIN Television Corporation WAVY-TV Channel 10 Williamsburg, VA. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  7. "Why Is This Field Full of Huge Presidents?". National Geographic. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  8. "Why Is This Field Full of Huge Presidents? | Short Film Showcase".


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