The assassination of John F. Kennedy is a part of a history riddled with questions and speculation, and now a Lee Harvey Exhibit could be open to the curious in the future.
NBC DFW was given an exclusive look into the former building where Lee Harvey Oswald was taken into custody following Kennedy’s assassination, and Jack Ruby murdered Oswald and was later jailed.
The former location of the Dallas Police Headquarters and former City Hall is now UNT Dallas Law School. Inside the 110-year-old building are detailed displays of the events in 1963.
The upper five floors house memories of JFK and the moments before Oswald shot at the motorcade from the School Book Depositary as it drove down Elm Street. While none of the exhibits are open to the public, Felicia Epps, Dean of UNT Dallas College of Law, said she is working with other organizations to open the displays to the public.
“We wanted to preserve as much of the history as we could, but this is a functioning law school, which means I have students normally all over the building,” said Epps. “We have to put the best interests of our students as our first concern and make sure they’re getting their legal education in a quiet, safe environment.”
The building’s basement area, a possible site for a public exhibit, is splashed with projected images of the events that took place that day. Oswald and his killer, Jack Ruby, were interrogated in a separate room depicted by interactive displays.
Another part of the display is the line-up area, which was used to identify witnesses.
There is a recreation of what once was the suspect booking area in the basement. The exhibit ends with photos of Oswald’s murder in the exact spot where Ruby fired the fatal shot.
“So, the police take Jack Ruby into custody, bring him up in that same elevator, and put him in this cell,” Epps said.
As with President Kennedy’s assassination, the transfer of Oswald and Ruby’s shooting of him were broadcast live on television, forever altering how security is managed for presidents and high-profile suspects.