George W. Bush Presidential Library Set To Open May 1

The George W. Bush Presidential Library will open to the public on May 1, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Monday .

The library honoring the 43rd president of the United States is located at Southern Methodist University, former first lady Laura Bush's alma-mater, in Dallas. An invitation-only audience will get a first look at the 226,560 square-foot center on April 25.

The library is the third presidential library built in Texas, following the libraries honoring George H. W. Bush and Lyndon B. Johnson . The Star-Telegram reports that many of Bush's personal items will be displayed at the library's museum, including cowboy hats, boots, 4 million photos and close to 70 million documents. The center, which took two and a half years to build, will also house a pubic policy institute, a 15-acre park and the George W. Bush Foundation's offices.

President Barack Obama is still weighing options for the location of his presidential library.

"It is a tough choice, but it's not one that I've made yet," Obama said in February.

The 44th president calls both Hawaii and Illinois home. Universities and community groups in both states have already started campaigning in an effort to sway Obama to choose their location for the library's site.