Sep 16, 2019

Ronald Reagan's boyhood home could close

Jacob Knutson

President Reagan, First Lady Nancy Reagan and his brother, Neil, visit the Reagans' boyhood home in 1984. Photo: Ronald Reagan Library/Getty Images

Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home in Dixon, Illinois, could close as a tourist destination and museum after struggling with debt and dreams that never came to fruition, the Chicago Tribune's Madeline Buckley reports.

Why it matters: The former president's childhood home is still a semi-popular destination for fans of the Republican figure, but interest is fading more than a decade after his death.

Details: Annually, the museum normally sees only 5,000 to 6,000 visitors, but that's significantly down from the 20,000 visitors a year in the '90s.

The house runs at an annual loss of more than $80,000.
Fewer volunteers are willing to work at the home.
It has been operating in the red since at least 2014.

Of note: Congress authorized the National Park Service to offer to purchase the home in 2001, according to congressional records, but Gorman said the then-board of directors turned down the offer.

What they're saying: "We cannot keep bleeding money," said Patrick Gorman, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home nonprofit organization.

Go deeper: For Dems, a pre- and post-Reagan divide

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Ronald Reagan's boyhood home could close

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