One summer day in the late 1990s, a Houston-based sculptor named David Adickes was returning home from a trip to Canada. Along the way, he drove past the Black Hills of South Dakota, and in the distance, got a glimpse of Mount Rushmore. Four massive presidents’ faces struck into a granite cliff is enough to catch anyone’s attention, but Adickes had the very same thought that I was just pondering…why play favorites?
For the rest of the drive home, Adickes did some dreaming, envisioning a sprawling park with every president represented. He loved the idea of the larger-than-life presidential busts, but wished that people could get closer to them. Adickes later remarked to the Washington Post “The idea for the big heads just popped into my small head!”
On this week’s Theme Park Time Machine: Adam dives into the history of Presidents Park, an inspirational (but ill-fated) Virginia outdoor museum with giant busts of every US President!
SOURCES:
The Fate of Presidents Park from Smithsonian Magazine
The History of Presidents Day from Ancestral Findings
Washington Post article about the park, shortly after opening