President John F. Kennedy's Homes & Their Architecture

Profiles in Stylish Living: Homes in Which JFK Has Lived

 

Perhaps no other president in modern history captivated the populace – and international audiences – than John F. Kennedy, the 35^th President of the United States. With his charm, youth, Irish wit, and beautiful family – First Lady Jacqueline and children Caroline and John, Jr. – President Kennedy brought a lot of glamor, excitement, and expectations to the country. Born to wealth and privilege, Kennedy attended boarding schools and Ivy League institutions. He spent winters in the family home in Palm Beach and summers in the sprawling Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod – possibly the most famous presidential summer residence.

 

While most U.S. Presidents have traditional ancestral homes associated with them or have built/designed memorable architectural gems – think Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier – no signature home is associated with JFK. Throughout his lifetime, President Kennedy lived in 27 residences across the Eastern Seaboard – from Boston to New York; Washington, DC; and Virginia.   

 

As we celebrate John F. Kennedy’s centennial birthday this month, we look at several of his interesting and multi-style homes.

 

 

1.  83 Beals Street (Brookline, Massachusetts)

On May 29, 1917, the future president of the U.S. was born in a classic Colonial Revival style home in Brookline, Massachusetts. Purchased by Joseph Kennedy before his marriage to Rose Fitzgerald in 1914, the charming three-story, nine-room house on Beals Street included a nursery, a study, a parlor, and servants’ quarters on the third floor. JFK lived in this house until 1920 – when the growing family moved to a bigger house in the same neighborhood.   

 

 

The Beals Street home was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 – a year after JFK’s assassination. After the Kennedy family repurchased the home in 1966, Rose Kennedy worked with an interior designer and spent three years restoring the home to how she remembered it in 1917.  Most of the furnishings and fixtures in the home belong to the family and were either used in either the Beals Street home or the family’s other residences.

 

In 1967, shortly after Rose Kennedy donated the home to the National Park Service, it was established as a National Historic Site.   

 

 

2.  51 Abbottsford Road (Brookline, Massachusetts)

After the fourth child was born to Joseph and Rose Kennedy in 1920, the family moved to a bigger house at 51 Abbotsford Road. The Victorian style home had the signature wraparound porch where Mrs. Kennedy watched her children play. JFK lived in this house until 1927, when his father’s business success drew them to New York and their first home there: a mansion in Riverdale with great views of the Hudson River.

 

The Abbottsford Road – currently a private residence – continues to spark interest with tourists and photo enthusiasts. 

 

 

 

3.  Crownlands (Bronxville, New York)

Not totally accepted by Riverdale’s “high society,” the Kennedys moved in 1929 to a hillside estate in Bronxville. The Georgian style mansion called Crownlands was built on 5.5 acres at 294 Pondfield Road. While the Kennedys lived here through 1938, they employed a staff that included a gardener, chauffeur, cook, personal secretary, and house maids.

 

On the landscaped grounds were a tennis court, a teahouse, a greenhouse, several gardens, a three-car garage, a living area for chauffeurs, and a gardener’s cottage. Near the entryway was a grand piano, antique pieces, and two fireplaces in the sitting room.

 

 

 

 

4.  The Winter White House – 1096 North Ocean Boulevard (Palm Beach, Florida)

Acquired by Joseph Kennedy in 1933 from the Wanamaker family of Philadelphia, the Palm Beach vacation home is built on a two-acre site, with a swimming pool, tennis courts, and nearly an acre of direct beachfront. The Mediterranean style beachfront home was originally designed in 1923 for the Wanamakers by Addison Mizner, the architect whose rendering of Mediterranean and Spanish Colonial homes influenced Palm Beach styles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From 1933 to 1963, JFK spent part of his winters in the beachfront residence. It was in this house that he worked on the Pulitzer-prize winning Profiles in Courage while recuperating from a back surgery in 1954. The residence served as the Winter White House when President Kennedy was in office. It was also here that he drafted his Inaugural Address and screened candidates for his cabinet.

 

After the death of Rose Kennedy in 1995, the house was sold to New York banker John K. Castle and his wife Marianne. The Castles remodeled and expanded the house and had the furniture refurbished and restored.

 

The Palm Beach House became a historic landmark under a deal made by the Kennedys, the Palm Beach Town Council, and the Castles.

 

 

5.  Hickory Hill (Mclean, Virginia)

It may always be associated with Senator Robert Kennedy, his wife Ethel, and their 11 children. But the first Kennedy to own Hickory Hill, the elegant 18-room white brick Georgian mansion in McLean, Virginia, was President Kennedy. In 1955, then Senator Kennedy and wife Jackie purchased Hickory Hill from Irene Jackson, widow of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson.  President and Mrs. Kennedy lived at Hickory Hill for two years. After Jackie Kennedy’s miscarriage in 1957, the estate was sold to Robert and Ethel Kennedy.  

 

 

Historians place the construction of Hickory Hill in 1870, and an extensive remodel in 1931. Built on 5.6 acres, surrounded by large oak and hickory trees, Hickory Hill featured beautiful rolling lawns, 13 bedrooms, and 12 fireplaces. In 1941, it became the home of Justice Robert Jackson before the Kennedys took over. Over the years, there were additions to the original property that included a pool, children’s pool, pool house, movie theater, paddocks, and tennis court. Ethel Kennedy and her children lived in Hickory Hill for a number of years after the death of Robert Kennedy.  

 

In 2004, the Kennedy family put up Hickory Hill for sale – with an asking price of $25 million. It was sold in 2009 – for $8.25 million – to a McLean businessman, who completely renovated the home.

 

 

6.  111 Irving Avenue (Barnstable, Massachusetts) and Brambletyde House (Hyannis Port)

During JFK’s presidency, his modest two-story home inside the Kennedy Compound on Cape Cod was designated as the Summer White House. The Shingle style house at 111 Irving Avenue – bought in 1956, three years after his marriage – is a few doors down from the main house. Jackie Kennedy and her young children spent summers in this house – and President Kennedy would join them on weekends.

 

 

 

An actual mortgage document shows that Joe Kennedy paid for the house. He then gave his son and daughter-in-law a no-interest mortgage for the purchase price ($50,000) – saving them an enormous sum of money on interest over the years.

 

For the summer of 1963, the Kennedy family lived at Brambletyde House on Squaw Island in Hyannis Port -- a bit further from the traditional Kennedy Compound.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.  3307 N Street Northwest, Georgetown (Washington, DC)

A 10-room townhouse in the Georgetown section of Washington, DC, was home to the Kennedys from 1958 to 1961 – the exciting period when their daughter Caroline was a little girl, when John Jr. was born, and when JFK ran for president. Just beyond the front steps of this home, the Kennedys played with Caroline. JFK also held many press conferences from its front steps.

 

This was the Kennedy residence prior to their White House Years. From this house, the President-elect traveled to the Capitol for his inauguration in January 1961.

 

 

 

8.  Wexford (Middleburg, VA)

While President Kennedy spent only a few weekends in this Virginia estate, it is significant because it is the only home ever built for the family – and designed by the First Lady. After JFK’s assassination in November 1963, Jackie retreated to Wexford with her children. But within a year, she sold the estate.

 

The Ranch style house – which cost more than $100,000 to build – sits on more than 160 acres of land on Rattlesnake Mountain in Middleburg, Virginia. Named Wexford by Mrs. Kennedy – after the county in Ireland where the Kennedys trace their roots – the home has five bedrooms, two staff bedrooms, French doors, a long terrace off the living and dining rooms, walking paths, and patios.

 

The house features sitting, recreation, and family rooms; a library; and a communications room. Outdoor amenities include a tennis court, a guest cottage, stables, and plenty of land for riding paths.

 

For the 1,000 days that John F. Kennedy served as President of the United States, he sparked hope and excitement. His legacy lives on with the many projects of the Kennedy Foundation, the historic sites dedicated to his memory, and of course, his many fascinating residences.

 

Resources:

Miami Herald 

Virginia Living