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Published at 10:20 p.m. ET -- Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the city of Irving, Texas, is restoring the home Lee Harvey Oswald slept in the night before the assassination and turning it into a museum.
In November 1963, Oswald and his wife Marina were separated. While he usually stayed in a rented room at a house on Beckley Avenue in Dallas during the week, Marina and their children stayed in a rented room in the Irving house owned by Ruth Paine. Oswald typically visited his family on the weekend, but on the night before the assassination he spent the night with his family at the Paine house.
City of Irving archivist Kevin Kendro said police believed the gun used in the assassination was stored inside the garage of the Paine home and that Oswald left his wedding ring and some money in Marina's room prior to leaving that Friday morning.
The city purchased the old Paine house and is in the process of restoring it to its 1963 look while simultaneously planning to transform the building into a museum ahead of the 50th anniversary.
"It gives you a feeling to be able to stand in a place, the very place where something historic occurred," said Kendro.
He said the city plans to spend more than $100,000 to restore the house and prepare for its opening as a museum.
Anthony Rucker, who lives across the street from the infamous house, said he didn't understand the city's efforts.
"It's odd. I don't get the gist of it, to turn it back into what it was, and what the city spent on it to purchase the property and do that," he said.
Rucker said he moved into the neighborhood in 1987. He said visitors have been coming by his street to get a closer look of the historic building for years.
"Every time the anniversary gets close, the rental cars pull up and everybody bails out with their cameras and takes pictures of it and that kind of thing," said Rucker.
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I certainly hope its free, I would not pay two cents to see a common house, no matter who slept there
Same here.... sell it.... plow it under..... who cares..... the house had ZERO to do with the event......
Why? What the fu_k for? Are you people nuts to elevate a scum bag jerk who slept somewhere to a folk status?
Wow, America is sure going to @!$%# in a hurry.
i love following everything jfk related... but seriously, the house where oswald last slept renovated at taxpayers expense? whose stupid decision was this?
But society would be ticked off if the James Earl Ray house was made into a museum.
It should be burned down.
I don't see the point of this restoration, given the amount of money spent on it. If I were a Texas resident, I would be appalled.
See Thru Gloss - Er, yes, people would be ticked off if they did that just like they are ticked off about this. Exact same scenarios and both stupid ideas
Sleeping in a house is historic? Some people have pretty low standards for historic events. How about the toilet - are they preserving the original one also? After all, leaving a load is just as historic as sleeping.
Are they restoring Jack Ruby's nightclub?
Next article:
Let's be fair and balanced NBC Opinionaters.
More like:
Reagan slept here briefly before it was torn down for the U of C Medical Center which has just expanded with a huge new hospital across the street.
Let's be truthful.
Im from Texas and there should be an amendment to exclude anyone from Texas from being president. .. we are the place losers come from.
..
warren post #4, Excelent post buddy! Where on earth did you come up with that? It's funny yet true. I'm not sure about your post #3 though.
Although an historic (infamous) event is related to the existence of this building, and the city may have a legitimate right to establish a museum, I certainly hope they will avoid any treatment of Oswald as some kind of person who needs to be honored. He murdered the President of the United States. Why? That's open to some speculation. But he is still a murderer.
In this economy, the commissioners who voted to do this should be pushed from office. That $100,000 could fund 2 entry-level employees for two years...
Sounds like the city of Irving has more money then they do brains in the city coffers. I would of just bulldozed it down myself.
"It gives you a feeling to be able to stand in a place, the very place where something historic occurred," said Kendro.
I would put the archivist in the back seat of the car with his brains lying on the trunk for the added affect tho !!
careful who you poke in the eye
I sure wont visit it. What a waste of money by the city.
I'd bet it will be closed within three years. People go to the Texas School Book Depository/Sixth Floor Museum in Dealey Plaza if they want to see something about the Kennedy assasination.
Why celebrate a former home of a man who assassinated one of our greatest presidents? SMH
Oswald's grave is about 50 yards from my father's. Google "Nick Beef" and read the cool story of the marked but empty grave next to Oswald.
Only in Dallas do they still believe that Oswald was the shooter.
A proud moment and historically significant artifact of a presidential murderer and criminal.
Sounds reasonable to me...
What's next, we make the Sandy Hook shooters house a museum too? Figures Texas would find a way to make a buck out of a tragedy. There must be something to the saying that everything is bigger in Texas, including stupid ideas....
Celeb ... $$
Something to aspire to, ones house becoming a museum after alleged brutal act.
Why would they honor a man who killed one of our greatest presidents??? we are doing exactly what Oswald wanted.. making him a famous person when he really should've just been forgotten about.