Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum Closing Until Next Summer

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum will be closed until next summer as crews install new permanent interactive exhibits and conduct renovations.

A ceremony is Monday afternoon to place the final beam for the new DeVos Learning Center at the museum in Grand Rapids and to mark the museum's closure.

The 8,000-square-foot Learning Center is set to be completed in fall 2016.

The "topping off ceremony" follows three years of planning by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. More than $15 million was raised for projects including the Learning Center and exhibit updates.

Ford died in 2006, and former first lady Betty Ford died in 2011. They lived in Rancho Mirage, California, for decades. Their hometown was Grand Rapids.

© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.