John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site

John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
	John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site (1974)
Location:	Massachusetts , United States
Specialty:	Memorial to John F. Kennedy, who was born in this house
Next city:	Brookline , Norfolk County , Massachusetts
Founding:	May 26, 1967
Address:	83 Beals Street
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The John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site is the birthplace of John F. Kennedy and is designated a National Historic Site . The building is in Brookline , Norfolk County , Massachusetts .

history

The house was probably built between October 1, 1908 and April 1, 1909. In August 1914, Howard S. and Laura Kline sold it to Joseph P. Kennedy , who moved in immediately after the wedding to Rose Kennedy and lived here with his family until 1920. John F. Kennedy was born here on May 29, 1917. His sisters Rosemary and Kathleen were also born here in 1918 and 1920. After Joseph P. Kennedy left the house to Mary H. Moore in September 1920, the Kennedys were no longer connected to the property.

The City of Brookline placed a bronze plaque in the garden on September 12, 1961 with a portrait of John F. Kennedy, who had won the presidential election the year before . Since July 19, 1964, the house under the name John F. Kennedy Birthplace has the status of a National Historic Landmark . In 1966, the Kennedy family bought back the property, which underwent a restoration based on the 1917 establishment under the direction of Rose Kennedy . The aim was to make the house accessible to the public as a museum, which is why they donated it to the National Park Service in May 1969 . On May 27, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the law to establish the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site. Linked to this was the inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places .

Building description

The master bedroom where John F., Rosemary, and Kathleen were born ( Historic American Buildings Survey , 1970)

The house has nine rooms, which are spread over three floors. The living room, which also served as a salon , the dining room and the rear kitchen are on the ground floor , while the laundry room is in the basement. On the first floor there are the family's bedrooms, a dressing room, a guest room and a study where the children later slept. The servants' quarters are on the second floor under the roof. In the beginning of the 20th century, the accommodation of the staff at the place of employment in a bourgeois town house had become rather the exception. The room layout and the overall smaller size compared to middle-class houses of the 19th century reflect the architectural style of the 1900s. This was due, on the one hand, to the lower average number of children, the higher wages for domestic staff and the increased construction costs. For example, there was no separate rear stairwell for the staff.