Simi Valley city feature
About this landmark
The library preserves Reagan's presidency and papers on a prominent Simi Valley hilltop.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum sits at 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93065-0600, roughly 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The complex houses presidential records, photographs, and memorabilia from Reagan's administration and personal life. Hours are Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Christmas Eve hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and closures on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The Research Room is available Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., by appointment, and is closed on federal holidays. The facility is operated by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in partnership with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
Building and Design
The library was dedicated November 4, 1991. Architect Hugh Stubbins designed the complex in Spanish Mission style because Reagan approved of the architecture, which reminded him of his ranch home, Rancho del Cielo. When the library opened in 1991, the museum comprised approximately 153,000 square feet, making it the largest presidential library at that time until 2004. The Air Force One Pavilion was added in 2005, bringing total building size to 243,000 square feet. Original construction cost approximately $60 million, equal to approximately $123 million in 2024 dollars.
The hilltop location provided natural visibility and landscape integration overlooking the surrounding topography. The site became a major educational and archival center in Ventura County, drawing visitors interested in Reagan's life, his presidency, and the presidential records preserved in its Research Room. The combination of Spanish Mission architecture with modern archival facilities created a distinctive landmark in the region.
The 2019 Easy Fire and Wildfire Resilience
On October 30, 2019, the Easy Fire broke out near Easy Street and Madera Road in Simi Valley and nearly surrounded the library, forcing immediate evacuation. The fire threatened more than 1,000 homes across the region, affecting roughly 26,000 Ventura County residents. Goats kept on the library grounds had cleared dry brush and vegetation earlier that year. Firefighters credited the resulting defensible space around structures with protecting the buildings. The library sustained approximately $500,000 in damage. The Easy Fire burned 1,806 acres before being contained on November 2, 2019. Extreme wind conditions combined with an insulator on a high-voltage power line swinging into a steel pole caused the fire.
The Easy Fire demonstrated both the vulnerability of structures in fire-prone Southern California and the effectiveness of preventive land management. The brush-clearing effort by goats—a practical and sustainable approach—became part of the library's wildfire-resilience narrative. Following the fire, the facility reopened to visitors and continues operating as a significant cultural and educational institution in Simi Valley.
Insurance connection: Wildfire coverage and underinsurance
Properties in wildfire-prone regions face significant coverage challenges. Underinsurance is common after wildfires, partly due to increased construction costs and new building-code requirements for rebuilding. Homeowners should ensure policies include a building-code upgrade (ordinance or law) endorsement; without it, insurers may not cover the cost of rebuilds to current code. For those unable to secure private coverage, the California FAIR Plan provides basic policies with coverage limitations and no liability or burglary protection. Coverage details and eligibility depend on the individual policy. The issued policy controls.
Primary sources: Official visitor information, Wikipedia library article, Wikipedia Easy Fire, and the Reagan Foundation document the library's operations, architecture, and fire history.
Insurance context is general information only. The issued policy and its endorsements settle coverage.