Nixon Historic Home Proposal Is Welcomed by Foundation Official

A spokesman for the Nixon Birthplace Foundation in Yorba Linda said Wednesday that he was “very pleased to hear” about a proposal this week to make the former president’s birthplace a national historic site.

“I’m rather flattered and pleased that there is some activity going on,” said Roland Bigonger, vice chairman and secretary of the foundation. “We certainly welcome a proper governmental agency who will step in and take care of it for us.”

On Tuesday, William Penn Mott Jr., director of the National Park Service, proposed the restoration of Nixon’s birthplace as part of a package also designating memorials to former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

Yorba Linda Councilman Henry Wedaa said he was “delighted” by the move. “I think it’s a very positive step. We knew that it would ultimately be a multiple bill. We welcome help from all directions, no matter what level, because we certainly think President Nixon is very deserving.”

The proposal is part of a bill authored by Rep. Richard Ray (D-Georgia), whose district includes Carter’s hometown of Plains. Mott’s proposal was included as an amendment to that bill, which was heard in a congressional subcommittee hearing Tuesday.

At the request of the Yorba Linda City Council, Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) had agreed last September to introduce legislation naming Nixon’s birthplace a national historic site. Dannemeyer has not yet introduced legislation, and on Wednesday a spokesman for his office said: “We’re still researching it.”

The Nixon site, which was declared a national landmark in 1973, includes about 1.1 acres of land owned by the foundation and an adjacent 6.1 acres owned by the Yorba Linda Unified School District. The house at 1806 Yorba Linda Blvd. is unoccupied and maintained by the school district.

At the hearing, Mott said the Park Service proposes to restore the birthplace to historic conditions. The house “would be used for museum . . . and for civic and community needs,” Mott told the subcommittee. He said the grounds not occupied by school buildings would be restored “to the historic citrus farm environment or landscaped for passive art purposes.”

The site then would be maintained by the state, the city or the foundation, or by a cooperative effort. The Department of the Interior would establish entrance and user fees to pay for the cost of managing the property.

The house was built by the former president’s father, Frank Nixon, who raised citrus on adjoining land. Richard Nixon was born there Jan. 9, 1913, but moved away in 1922.

The proposal outlines similar plans for Carter’s legal residence in Plains and Ford property in Michigan and Nebraska, said Duncan Morrow, spokesman for the National Parks Service.

If the bill is approved by the subcommittee and the House, it will go to the Senate for a vote.