Presidents Park
.jpg) The original park in 2005 | |
  Presidents Park Presidents Park was located in Southeastern Virginia  Presidents Park Presidents Park (the United States) | |
| Established | March 2004 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | September 30, 2010 |
| Location | Williamsburg VA, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°15′39″N 76°38′42″W / 37.26083°N 76.64500°W |
| Type | Sculpture park |
Collections | Busts of the first 43 presidents, spread over 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
Presidents Park was a ten-acre (4.0 ha) sculpture park and associated indoor museum formerly located in Williamsburg, Virginia in the United States. The park 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]
After the park closed, the presidential heads were transferred to a nearby private field, where they have been decaying due to exposure to the elements. The unusual nature of the decayed presidential heads has gained attention, and the location now offers periodic tours.[2]
History
Original park
.jpg)
In the year 2000, when returning from a trip to Canada, Houston artist David Adickes was inspired as he drove past Mount Rushmore to sculpt a series of statues.[1][3][2]
From 2000 through 2004, Adickes produced the statues in his studio in Houston, Texas.[2]
In March 2004, local visitor attraction entrepreneur Everette H. "Haley" Newman III opened Presidents Park to display the statues. He had been slowly taking delivery of the busts since 2000.[4]
On September 30, 2010, the park, which had been having financial troubles, closed permanently.[5]
On September 28, 2012, creditors put the land of the park up for auction, but not the busts themselves, after a foreclosure auction that had been originally scheduled for April 26, 2012 was cancelled without explanation.[6] The location was eventually purchased by a rental car company.[7]
Current location of statues
By January 2013, Howard Hankins, a builder who had helped construct the park and had been hired to demolish it, had moved the busts to private storage at a nearby farm in Croaker, Virginia.[8][9]
In 2017, National Geographic showcased a video in which Mr. Hankins expressed a hope to rehabilitate the statues for a new park in the future.[10][11]
Many of the presidential heads had sustained damage in the move and further decayed due to being out in the open elements without any regular restorative maintenance. The unusual nature of the decayed presidential heads gained attention, and the location now offers periodic tours and photography workshops under the name "The Presidents Heads".[2][12]
Similar park in 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, South Dakota that was operated by the artist himself, until it also closed after financial difficulties.
As of 2015, some of the South Dakota busts could still be seen at various RV parks and hotels around the Dakotas:
- The busts of Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush were located near Mount Rushmore at the Southern Hills RV Park and Campground in Hermosa, South Dakota.
- President Abraham Lincoln's bust graced the Lincoln RV Park on U.S. 85 south of Williston, North Dakota.
- President Theodore Roosevelt's bust was stationed at the Roosevelt Inn in Watford City, North Dakota.
References
- 1 2 "Presidents Park". Visitwilliamsburg.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Paquette, Danielle (February 16, 2026). "What 42 massive and decaying presidential heads say about America". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Answer Man learns the fate of Virginia's colossal commanders in chief". Washington Post. May 14, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ↑ "Following the Leaders". Washington Post. July 19, 2004. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ↑ "Presidents Park Closing Sale". September 14, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ↑ "Presidents Park Set For Auction". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ↑ Paquette, Danielle (February 16, 2026). "What 42 massive and decaying presidential heads say about America". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ↑ Paquette, Danielle (February 16, 2026). "What 42 massive and decaying presidential heads say about America". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ↑ Mimica, Mila (January 17, 2013). "Man saves President's Park busts". LIN Television Corporation WAVY-TV Channel 10 Williamsburg, VA. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
- ↑ "Why Is This Field Full of Huge Presidents?". National Geographic. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Why Is This Field Full of Huge Presidents? | Short Film Showcase". YouTube. July 9, 2017.
- ↑ "The Presidents Heads". Retrieved February 17, 2026.
External links
- Presidential memorials in the United States
- Museums in Williamsburg, Virginia
- Art museums and galleries in Virginia
- Presidential museums in Virginia
- Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in the United States
- Parks in Williamsburg, Virginia
- Defunct museums in Virginia
- 2004 establishments in Virginia
- Museums established in 2004
- 2010 disestablishments in Virginia
- Museums disestablished in 2010
- Virginia museum stubs