Barack Obama Presidential Center: Fitting Monument to ‘Pen and Phone’ President

Tourists have long marveled at the Arc de Triomphe near the center of Paris. That Napoleonic monument revived an ancient Roman tradition: After a great victory, a Roman general would have a ceremonial archway built in advance of his arrival and then pass under it with a train of soldiers, trophies, and children tossing garlands in his wake. Few symbols are more emblematic of the late Roman Republic. And few symbols are more emblematic of what David Reaboi calls “late republic nonsense” than the Obama presidential center, which is due to break ground next week — unless a major federal lawsuit stops it first.

The transition from the modest presidential libraries of yesteryear to the grandiose complexes of today was fairly quick. Since Herbert Hoover’s time, university campuses had hosted presidential libraries as special collections, usually for illustrious alumni, for example Lyndon B. Johnson’s at the University of Texas and Gerald Ford’s at the University of Michigan. Both Bushes graduated from Yale, which is obviously not an option for a Republican, so theirs are hosted by Texas A&M University and Southern Methodist University, respectively. Richard Nixon’s presidential library is located on his family’s own land in Yorba Linda, Calif. Ronald Reagan’s more sprawling presidential center is in Simi Valley, Calif., though still on formerly private land, privately acquired.

About the Author

Mario Loyola

Mario Loyola is a professor of environment at Florida International University and a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

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Tourists have long marveled at the Arc de Triomphe near the center of Paris. That Napoleonic monument revived an ancient Roman tradition: After a great victory, a Roman general would have a ceremonial archway built in advance of his arrival and then pass under it with a train of soldiers, trophies, and children tossing garlands in his wake. Few symbols are more emblematic of the late Roman Republic. And few symbols are more emblematic of what David Reaboi calls “late republic nonsense” than the Obama presidential center, which is due to break ground next week — unless a major federal lawsuit stops it first.

The transition from the modest presidential libraries of yesteryear to the grandiose complexes of today was fairly quick. Since Herbert Hoover’s time, university campuses had hosted presidential libraries as special collections, usually for illustrious alumni, for example Lyndon B. Johnson’s at the University of Texas and Gerald Ford’s at the University of Michigan. Both Bushes graduated from Yale, which is obviously not an option for a Republican, so theirs are hosted by Texas A&M University and Southern Methodist University, respectively. Richard Nixon’s presidential library is located on his family’s own land in Yorba Linda, Calif. Ronald Reagan’s more sprawling presidential center is in Simi Valley, Calif., though still on formerly private land, privately acquired.