HOUSTON — The lectern President John F. Kennedy used to deliver his historic, "We choose to go to the moon" speech is back on display at Space Center Houston.
The real one, according to Space Center Houston officials.
Earlier this year, the lectern's authenticity was brought into question by a Dallas-based historian. The report, published by KHOU's sister station WFAA, claimed that the lectern was just a piece of furniture that held no historical value, claiming it was just a "fake artifact."
KHOU 11 got the first look at the newly restored lectern used in JFK's speech at Rice University back in 1962. The lectern has been on display for 30 years after the university donated it but removed it six months ago to investigate its authenticity and history.
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Space Center officials enlisted the help of the Kennedy Library, Rice University, and Steven Pine, a renowned furniture conservation expert who recently retired from the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, to determine its authenticity. They restored the lectern by stripping away years of built-up veneer to reveal its original wood grain. Then they compared it side by side with original photos from the speech.
What started the debate about the lectern was a missing lip, or line, that turned out just to be hidden.
"What we determined was the lectern at one time had a motor and it could be elevated or lowered," Space Center CEO Williams Harris said. "That motor had been taken out before it was gifted to Space Center Houston, so it was actually lowered and you couldn't see the lip."
Space Center Houston also said they learned the same lectern set the stage for other historical figures, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower.