Efforts begin to restore President Harding's home in Ohio

MARION, Ohio (AP) — Fundraising efforts have begun to restore President Warren G. Harding's home and build a 15,000-square-foot presidential center at the property by 2020.

Plans for the $7.3 million Harding 2020 project include restoring the Press House and grounds and building a new parking lot on the property, located about 45 miles north of Columbus in Marion. The center would serve as a museum and meeting space.

Officials say the center is expected to open on the 100th anniversary of Sen. Warren G. Harding's 1920 presidential election. Campaign buttons featuring the slogan "Harding 2020" are being used to kick off the fundraising efforts.

Site manager Sherry Hall said the interior and exterior of Harding's 2,500-square-foot home and the Press House will mirror their 1920 appearance.

"Quite frankly, this president deserves for his story to be told," Hall told The Plain Dealer. "This is a project that has been in the back of everyone's minds for decades."

Interactive exhibits would help visitors learn about the nation's 29th president. The museum also would educate visitors about his time as a newspaper publisher.

Harding's presidential papers would be moved to Marion from the Ohio History Center in Columbus.