The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Dallas, Texas

Mailing Address

411 Elm Street, Suite 120
Dallas, TX 75202

Street Address

411 Elm Street
Dallas, TX 75202

Phone: 214-747-6660
Fax: 214-747-6662
Email:
Web: www.jfk.org

Museum Hours


Admissions

$10 adult general admission
$9 senior and student general admission
free under 6 years

Description

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. It is located in the Dallas County Administration Building, formerly called the Texas School Book Depository. Built in 1901 as a warehouse, the building became known worldwide on November 22, 1963, the day President Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza. A Depository employee, Lee Harvey Oswald, allegedly perched with a rifle in the southeast corner window and fired at the president as his motorcade drove past Dealey Plaza and the building.

A self-guided permanent exhibition on the sixth floor chronicles the assassination, the findings of the official investigations that followed, and the legacy of that national tragedy. Visitors are taken back to that dramatic event through historic films, videos, photographs, artifacts and interpretive displays.

Exhibit highlights include two preserved evidential areas - the alleged "sniper's perch" and the staircase where a rifle and clipboard were found on November 22, 1963. Key artifacts range from cameras used in Dealey Plaza that day to the FBI model of Dealey Plaza used by the Warren Commission.

Special exhibits are presented year-round in the Visitors Center and in the seventh floor gallery.

Each year, approximately 350,000 people from around the world tour the Museum, making it the most visited historic site in North Texas. Through expanded programming, collection and preservation efforts, the Museum will continue to meet the needs of those who remember the assassination and future generations.

History

In 1977, the citizens of Dallas County purchased the vacant Texas School Book Depository and renovated the first five floors into the new seat of county government. A private non-profit educational organization, the Dallas County Historical Foundation, was formed to develop and manage a permanent exhibition on the life, death, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy.

The Sixth Floor Museum opened to the public on President Day 1989. On President's Day 2002, the Museum opened its newly renovated seventh floor. In 2004, the Museum was accredited by the American Association of Museums.

Artifacts Collections

The Collection of The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza represents the largest single source of news footage, eyewitness films, photographs, and printed documentation related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy outside the major broadcast networks and the National Archives. Totaling approximately 25,000 objects, the Collection serves as a resource for research and education. This diverse collection ranges from three-dimensional artifacts, manuscripts, photographic materials, historic film and video, works of art on paper, newspapers, magazines, feature and documentary productions, to significant recorded interviews in the Oral History Collection.

The primary goals of the Museum's collecting activities are to preserve the materials entrusted to the Museum, to interpret them, and to make them available as a resource to the public through use in exhibition, public programming, and research. Many of these materials might be neglected and lost to posterity save for the Museum's preservation efforts.

Research Collections

The Sixth Floor Museum maintains a non-circulating library of nearly 3,000 titles related to the life, assassination, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy-including full sets of the reports by the Warren Commission and the House Select Committee on Assassinations, general presidential and American history, as well as local history and politics in Dallas.

Curatorial staff members actively assist serious researchers with use of the Museum and Library Collections. Research appointments must be made in advance.

Library

Open to scholars, staff; approximately 400 volumes on the life, death, and legacy of President Kennedy plus the full Warren Commission report; does not circulate print materials; open Mon.-Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; appointment necessary; cannot assist with inter-library loans.

Visual reference collection: the images are listed in the Collections section. Nonarchival artifacts in the collection have not been photographed.

Contact Interpretation Department about rights and reproductions. Among other images, copies of the Dallas Time Herald photos are available for sale. The prices range from $20-600, depending on the size and type of reproduction. The images are sold for a one-time use.

Access: Scholars
Appointment required: True

Services


Gift Shop, Audio Tours, Special Event Rental


Museum store offers a wide selection of books, DVDs, newspaper reprints and other educational materials along with postcards and gift items. It is open daily (except December 25) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

An audio tour provides visitors with a thorough explanation of the permanent exhibit. It is offered in seven languages: English, Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, French and Portuguese. A children's version is available in English. The cost is an additional $3.50.

The Museum may be rented for corporate meetings, receptions and other events.

Programs

Special tours for students and other groups may be arranged in advance. Public programs, including gallery talks, lectures, panel discussions, and film screenings, are offered periodically. Visit www.jfk.org for updates.

Staff

Nicola Longford, Executive Director
Phone: 214-747-6660
Fax: 214-747-6662
Email:


Governance

Type: 501 (c) (3)


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Museum Info courtesy of Texas Association of Museums.

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