Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
 The Texas School Book Depository (now the Dallas County Administration Building) | |
| Established | February 20, 1989 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas |
| Type | Historic |
| Curator | Gary Mack (deceased July 15, 2015) |
| Website | jfk.org |
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is located on the sixth floor of the Dallas County Administration Building (formerly the Texas School Book Depository) in downtown Dallas, Texas, overlooking Dealey Plaza at the intersection of Elm and Houston Streets. The museum examines the life, times, death, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy, and is located at the very spot from which Lee Harvey Oswald, according to four government investigations, shot and killed the President on November 22, 1963.[nb 1]
The museum's exhibition area uses historic films, photographs, artifacts and interpretive displays to document the events of the assassination, the reports by government investigations that followed, and the historical legacy of the national tragedy. The museum is self-sufficient in funding, relying solely on donations and ticket sales. It rents the space from the County of Dallas.
The museum was founded by the Dallas County Historical Foundation.[1] It opened its doors on Presidents' Day, February 20, 1989.[2]
A museum webcam features a live view from the sniper spot.[3]
Items of interest
In December 1999, the Zapruder family donated the copyright to the Zapruder film to The Sixth Floor Museum, along with one of the first-generation copies made on November 22, 1963, and other copies of the film. The Zapruder family no longer retains any copyrights to the film, which are now controlled entirely by the museum. The original film, however, is in possession of the National Archives and Records Administration.
On February 19, 2007, the previously unreleased 8 mm film footage of Kennedy's motorcade, donated to the museum by George Jefferies and his son-in-law, was shown publicly for the first time. The 40-second film, silent and in color, showed the motorcade before the assassination, as well as part of Dealey Plaza the following day.
The Jefferies film was described as capturing "a beaming Jacqueline Kennedy," as well as showing Kennedy's suit jacket bunched-up in the back at that moment, about two minutes before Kennedy entered Dealey Plaza.[4]
Notes
- ↑ The four investigations were by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1963), the Warren Commission (1964), the House Select Committee on Assassinations (1979), and the Dallas Police Department.
References
- ↑ Noland, Eric (November 15, 2003). "Popularity and mystique; Museum in former Texas School Book Depository founded in response to visitors to the JFK assassination scene". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Retrieved August 13, 2014. Syndicated from the Los Angeles Daily News.
- ↑ "History of the Texas School Book Depository". jfk.org. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ↑ EarthCam - Dealey Plaza Cam
- ↑ Stoddard, Ed (February 19, 2007). "New footage of JFK in Dallas released". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
External links
Coordinates: 32°46′47″N 96°48′30″W / 32.77972°N 96.80833°W