Theodore Roosevelt
Birthplace
28 East 20th Street (between
Park and Broadway)
Manhattan
(212) 260-1616 Although
several New Yorkers have become President
of the United States, the only president
born and raised in New York City was
Theodore Roosevelt.
Born in 1858 in a
fashionable brownstone townhouse at 28
East 20th Street in the Grammercy Park
area, Roosevelt and his family lived
there until Teedie (as he was then known)
was 14 years old. The house, which is now
administered by the National Park
Service, has been carefully restored and
is open to the public. It offers an
excellent view of New York City life in
the mid-1800's as well as a treasure
trove of information about our 26th
President.
The House
The actual house in which TR
grew up was demolished in 1916. After his
death in 1919, a group of prominent
citizens purchased the site and
reconstructed Roosevelt's boyhood home as
a memorial. TR's widow and two sisters
carefully monitored this process and thus
ensured that the Birthplace was
accurately restored.
Approximately 40% of the
home's furnishings come from the original
house, and another 20% were contributed
by other members of the Roosevelt family.
The rest of the house's contents are
Victorian-style period pieces from the
mid-1800's. The administrators of the
house continue to acquire other Roosevelt
family pieces when they become available.
TR - The Early Years
Young Roosevelt was a frail
boy who was confined to his home because
of severe asthma. The Roosevelts, who
were wealthy and prominent New Yorkers,
treated Teddy with all of the traditional
asthma remedies of the period, including
having him inhale cigar smoke! Having no
luck with these conventional cures, TR's
father constructed a gymnasium on the
rooftop outside Teddy's bedroom window.
Regular exercise paid off so
well that TR was able to resume a normal
life style and become an avid
outdoorsman. The steps TR used to climb
out to the gym are on display in his
bedroom. While in the bedroom, also take
note of the ornate wallpaper, which
features outdoor scenes, and the crib and
child-size chair, which are believed to
have been TR's.
The most elegant room in the
house is the parlor, which is furnished
in the Rococo Revival style. TR once
described the parlor as "a room of
much splendor .... open for general use
only on Sunday evening or on rare
occasions when there were parties."
The family used the
adjoining library as their daily
"living room." Of special note
is TR s favorite chair. Apparently, young
Teddy complained that the
horsehair-padded chairs scratched his
legs. TR's father, who doted on his young
son, promptly had a chair re-covered with
red velvet fabric so TR could be
comfortable.
The front room on the 2nd
floor is the master bedroom, which is
furnished with the actual hand-carved
rosewood and satinwood veneered furniture
custom made for TR's parents. As with
many of the other furnishings throughout
the house, the bedroom set exemplifies
the 19th century luxury the Roosevelt
family enjoyed.
Take A Tour
Tours of the house last 40
minutes and are led by a National Park
Ranger. As usual, the U.S. taxpayers got
their money's worth from the ranger who
led our tour. (We ve found that National
Park Rangers are some of the most
knowledgeable and dedicated people you
will find anywhere, and their tours of
National Park sites are generally worth
taking. )
The Adjoining Museum
While waiting for the tour,
don't miss the gallery on the first floor
which contains a series of photos,
cartoons, news clippings, and memorabilia
that chronicle Teddy Roosevelt's amazing
life as explorer, author,
conservationist, outdoorsman, big game
hunter, police commissioner, war hero,
Governor, Vice President, President, and
winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. When he
wasn't off in Washington (or on safari
catching the trophies on display in the
second floor gallery), Roosevelt left his
mark on New York City by founding, among
other things, Roosevelt Hospital and the American
Museum of Natural History.
When To Go
The Birthplace is less
crowded on weekdays, although the crowds
are generally very manageable on
weekends. You can see the house and
explore the related exhibits in under 2
hours. We recommend that you avoid the
Birthplace on hot summer days because it
is not air conditioned.
On your way out, be sure to
ask your guide for a schedule of the free
concerts, recitals, lectures, readings
and other events hosted at the Birthplace
by the National Park Service. These
events are held in the beautiful
oak-paneled fourth floor auditorium.
Details
Open Wednesday through
Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. Tours offered
every hour on the hour. To get there by
subway, take the #6 to 23rd St. and Park;
or the N or R subway to 23rd St. and
Broadway.
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