John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the federally administered presidential library and official national memorial devoted to the 35th president of the United States. Set on Columbia Point and designed by architect I. M. Pei, the waterfront complex combines an extensive archival institution with a public museum that follows Kennedy from his early life and 1960 campaign through the defining challenges and ambitions of his presidency.

Visitors encounter films, photographs, documents, personal objects, and recreated settings in galleries devoted to the presidential election, inauguration, televised press conferences, the Peace Corps, the space program, the Oval Office, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy’s service as attorney general. The soaring glass pavilion and views across Boston Harbor provide a reflective conclusion, making the museum especially worthwhile for visitors interested in presidential history, public service, and the political culture of the early 1960s.