CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts -- President John F. Kennedy's Air Force One bomber jacket sold for $570,000 at an auction on Sunday of items that belonged to a longtime aide, nearly 50 years after the president's assassination.

The jacket was among thousands of items, including letters, photographs and books, that had been tucked away in drawers and file cabinets at the home of David Powers, who died in 1998, said Dan Meader, auction appraiser at John McInnis Auctioneers.

Paul Marotta / Getty Images Contributor

JFK's Air Force One Bomber Jacket, given to his special assistant David Powers and worn by LBJ, which sold for $570,000 at an auction in Amesbury, Massachusetts.

They were discovered in recent years by relatives as they prepared Powers' Arlington, Massachusetts, residence for sale, Meader said.

Powers was close to the president throughout his political career, from 1946 until his assassination in 1963.

He later remained close to the Kennedy family and became curator of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston before retiring in 1994.

'President's best friend'
The auction included personal effects that reflected Powers' years of shared history with Kennedy and his family. Among them are dozens of letters from former first lady Jackie Kennedy and books inscribed by the president.

"The amazing thing about this whole thing is that it shows the personal connection," Meader said. "This is stuff that's true, it's pure, it's right from the family home ... right from the president's best friend."

Slideshow: Kennedy's legacy

Henry Burroughs / AP

John F. Kennedy was the youngest man ever to serve as U.S. president. Click on the gallery for photos detailing key moments in his campaign for the White House, his brief time in office, and his untimely death.

Launch slideshow

The auction began on Sunday morning and continued into the night, with Kennedy's Air Force One leather bomber jacket selling for $570,000 plus a buyer's premium, he said. The jacket was initially expected to fetch $20,000 to $40,000 or more.

"There's never been an auction like this," Meader said.

Powers traveled with Kennedy, riding in motorcades, monitoring the reaction of crowds and informing the president of what his constituents wanted, Meader said.

"He was basically the eyes and ears of the American public," he said. "Dave was the pulse of the nation."

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After years of decay, the city of Dallas demolished the 88-year old building at Elsbeth and Davis infamous for being where Lee Harvey Oswald lived before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The demolition of the old apartment building started around 8:30 Monday morning.  By 8:40 the first level unit where the Oswald's are said to have lived was gone.

Lee Harvey Oswald and his wife Marina lived at the complex from November 1962 to March 1963, eight months before the JFK assassination.

About a half dozen curious people with a strong sense of history showed up across the street to watch and take pictures of the 88-year old building coming down.

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Jose Sorola told us he wished the Oswald unit could have been saved and perhaps been restored and part of historic tours. But since the city said it had to go, Sorola bought a small piece of it.

"Yesterday, I came by and actually bought a window from Lee Harvey Oswald's unit number two and what I plan on doing is try to restore it as best as possible, and make it a little display if anybody is interested in using that it'll be nice, perserve a little history, keep the building alive somehow," said Sorola who paid $125 for the window.

The crumbling building, located at 600 Elsbeth Street, had not been occupied for several years. 

Jane Bryant, the woman who owns the building, bought it with hopes of restoring the complex, but the City of Dallas condemned the building back in 2011.

On Sunday evening several people, including Bryant, local artists, and nearby residents showed up to take wood or bricks from the building.

Freda Dillard, who takes people on JFK assassination tours, said she’s sad to see the building go.

“People are interested in it," said Dillard. "I have people that come from all over the world to take these tours and they want to see everything, including this apartment building.”

Hulton Archive / Getty Images, file

Mugshot of Lee Harvey Oswald (1939 - 1963), alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, taken by the Dallas Police department, Dallas, Texas.

“It’s very sad," added Dillard. "Tomorrow [Monday] afternoon it’s going to be gone and that’s another piece of history.”

The city won a court order in May requiring Jane Bryant to tear down the uninhabited 10-unit, two-story apartment complex. It says Bryant failed to act in the allotted time and that allowed the structure to become a nuisance.
   
Dallas city spokesman Frank Librio says demolition and asbestos abatement of the building is estimated to cost about $52,000. The city may place a lien on the property to recover that money.

It's unclear what will become of the space, but the property owner, Jane Bryant, has suggested perhaps it could be a dog park.

RFK Jr.: 'Very convincing' evidence that JFK wasn't killed by lone gunman

Dallas is planning a major public memorial ceremony in 2013 to mark the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination at Dealey Plaza, it was announced Tuesday.

"The tone is very important," Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said. "We want to mark this day by remembering a great president with a sense of dignity and honor he deserves. The 50th will be a serious, respectful and understated public memorial."

Rawlings said public donations are being taken to cover the cost and no tax money will be used for the event, which will take place on Nov. 22, 2013.

Tickets will be issued for the Dealey Plaza event because organizers expect more people will want to attend than the plaza can safely hold.

Secret tapes of JFK's last days released

The service will include a moment of silence at 12:25 p.m., the time the shots rang out.

A committee appointed by Rawlings is planning the memorial, some details of which are already on an official website.

"I'll never forget the faces of all the weeping women and the men who were just stricken, I mean you can imagine how shocking this was," said Dallas Citizens Council leader Ruth Altshuler, the committee chairperson.

Another murder that same November 1963 day was the killing of Dallas police officer J.D. Tippit who was on patrol in Oak Cliff looking for the president's killer.

Witnesses said Lee Harvey Oswald gunned Tippit down before Oswald was eventually arrested at the Texas Theater.

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Nearly 49 years later, a memorial to Officer Tippit was unveiled Tuesday at the corner where the shooting occurred.

Attending the dedication was former Dallas police detective Jim Leavelle, who was assigned to Tippit's case. "I think it’s a great honor to Tippit, and he deserves it, and I’m just glad I could be alive to see it," Leavelle said.

Tippit's widow Marie also attended the dedication ceremony. "I think it should be remembered," she said "The president was killed here and Jay was killed here trying to apprehend the killer of the president so I think it should be remembered."