Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

Digitized collections

Scenes from Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace

Slide 1: Although a reconstruction, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace showcases original furnishings and artifacts from the former president's life.
Slide 2: The house features five period rooms furnished in the style of the 1860's.
Slide 3: Described as a sickly child, Roosevelt was nonetheless active. His bicycle is one of the many artifacts on display.
Slide 4: Visitors can also see Roosevelt's eyeglass case, which deflected an assassin's bullet in 1912.
Slide 5: Before becoming Governor of New York State, Vice President and then President of the U.S., Roosevelt was a colonel during the Spanish-American War.

Located on East 20th Street in Manhattan, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site is a reconstruction of the 26th President's home on the site where he was born and lived until he was 14 years old.

The original house was demolished in 1916. After Roosevelt's death in 1919, the site was purchased by the Women's Roosevelt Memorial Association and rebuilt and decorated with many of its original furnishings by his widow and sisters. The Theodore Roosevelt Association, a merger of the Women's Roosevelt Memorial Association and the Roosevelt Memorial Association, donated the house to the National Park Service in 1962 and it was designated a national historic site—a protection given to places with one important historical feature.

The Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace collections, the majority of which are stored on-site, include manuscripts, published books and articles, cartoons, photographs, as well as letters and journals written by Roosevelt. Artifacts range from campaign buttons to hunting rifles and taxidermy specimens.

Learn more about this site on the National Park Service and New York Harbor Parks websites.