Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
Location 28 East 20th Street
New York, New York, U.S.
Coordinates 40°44′20″N 73°59′23″W / 40.73889°N 73.98972°W / 40.73889; -73.98972Coordinates: 40°44′20″N 73°59′23″W / 40.73889°N 73.98972°W / 40.73889; -73.98972
Area 0.11 acre (450 m²)
Built 1848 (demolished 1916)
rebuilt 1923 (replica)
July 25, 1962 (site founded)
Architect Theodate Pope Riddle (replica)
Visitation 11,158 (2005)
NRHP Reference # 66000054[1]
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site is a recreated brownstone at 28 East 20th Street, between Broadway and Park Avenue South, in Manhattan, New York City.

History

Sitting room

The house that originally stood on the site was built in 1848, and was bought by the Roosevelts in 1854.[2] Theodore Roosevelt was born there on October 27, 1858, and lived in the house with his family until 1872 when the neighborhood began to become more commercial, and the family moved uptown to West 57th Street.[2][3]

The original building was demolished in 1916 to make way for retail space,[4] but upon the death of Roosevelt in 1919 the lot was purchased and the house rebuilt by the Women's Roosevelt Memorial Association, which eventually merged with the Roosevelt Memorial Association in 1953 to form the Theodore Roosevelt Association. Noted female American architect Theodate Pope Riddle was given the task of reconstructing a replica of the house, as well as designing the museum, situated next door, that serves to complete the site. The row house next door at No. 26, which was a twin to the Roosevelts', was used as a model, and some architectural elements from it were incorporated into the replicae. The twin house was demolished to make space for the museum.[2][5] The restoration recreates the house as it was in 1865.[4]

The house was rededicated in 1923 and was subsequently refurbished with many furnishings from the original house by the President's widow, Edith, and his two sisters. The widow and sisters also supplied information about the interior's appearance during Roosevelt's residency. It now serves as a museum dedicated to the life and contributions of the 26th President of the United States. There is no entrance fee to the house or the museum.

The Theodore Roosevelt Association donated the Birthplace to the National Park Service in 1963, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

In 2014, Theodate Pope Riddle was recognized for her work rebuilding the home, a winning site of Built by Women New York City,[6] a competition launched by the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation during the fall of 2014 to identify outstanding and diverse sites and spaces designed, engineered and built by women.

Architecture

The three-story brownstone house features a mansard roof, and a high stoop above the basement. The hooded moldings above the windows and doorway are in the Gothic Revival style.[2]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mendelsohn, Joyce. Touring the Flatiron. New York: New York Landmarks Conservancy, 1998. ISBN 0-964-7061-2-1
  3. ↑ Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
  4. 1 2 White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5.
  5. ↑ Kevin Walsh, Forgotten New York 2006:165
  6. ↑ "Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation Hosts Leadership Awards Gala, Kicks off Built By Women Exhibition". Architectural Record. Retrieved March 8, 2015.

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace.


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