Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York

Official presidential libraries are operated by the National Archives and Records Administration, a federal agency created by the Roosevelt Administration in 1934. Roosevelt subsequently became the first president to establish an official library for housing presidential writings, correspondence, photographs, recordings, and other documents. Many former presidents had put together a collection of such documents in home libraries or donated them to the Library of Congress, and even Herbert Hoover, the president before Roosevelt, has an official library, but his was not established until 1962.

Roosevelt had it in mind to create a library during his second term, and construction began in 1939. The library was dedicated on June 30, 1941. Every president since Roosevelt has established his own presidential library, each paid for with private or state money (no federal money) but then donated to the National Archives. The maintenance and operational costs of the library where also originally paid for with private funds, but the Presidential Records Act of 1978 stipulated that as of January 20,1980, all materials generated by a president now belonged to the people and would be maintained in a library that had its operational costs funded by the Federal government (aka tax payers). Since 1986, laws have been passed requiring operational costs to be funded by private endowments, and now at least 60 percent of costs must be covered by private money.

The museum portion of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is open daily except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. From April through October, museum hours are 9 AM to 6 PM. The facility closes at 5 PM the rest of the year. If you are coming to the library to do research, you must make an appointment at least ten days in advance. Research hours are 9 AM to 4 PM Mondays through Fridays. See the FDR Library’s Plan a Research Visit web page for more information.

Courtyard of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York

There is a fee to enter the museum but no charge for research visits. Museum tickets are sold at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site Visitor Center (no cash). While the facility is located on National Park grounds, as mentioned, it is operated by the National Archives. Because of this, National Park annual passes are not good for admission. For the current fees, visit the FDR Presidential Library’s Hours, Admissions, and Tickets web page.

The museum started out in 1941 as an exhibit area for Roosevelt’s various collections, for he was an avid collector of all sorts of things—stamps, naval prints, model ships, etc. Visitors could also see the gifts he received while president, art created by the Works Progress Administration (one of his New Deal organizations for getting men back to work), and other personal possessions. Many such items are no longer on display in the main galleries, but visitors exit the museum through the storage area where they can see some of his art collection, furniture, model ships, and his 1936 Ford Phaeton.

Franklin Roosevelt’s 1939 Ford Phaeton on display in the storage area of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Model ships from the collection of Franklin Roosevelt on display in the storage area of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

The museum remained a dated collection of Roosevelt-related artifacts from its inception all the way up until 2010 when the entire facility was renovated. The new museum opened in June 2013, and it now told the story of Franklin Roosevelt, making it an educational experience.

Video about the Great Depression plays at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

The exhibits start off by setting the scene for Roosevelt’s first presidential campaign in 1932—a country in economic turmoil at the start of the Great Depression. There is also an exhibit area that covers the actual campaign.

Exhibit on the state of America in 1932 starts off the story of FDR at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Exhibit on FDR’s 1932 presidential campaign at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

All of this is followed up by an exhibit that focuses on Roosevelt’s family and his life prior to politics. Items from his childhood, letters, and photos are on display.

A collection of items pertaining to FDR’s youthful years on display at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

The bulk of the museum covers two main time periods: The New Deal and World War II. The New Deal was the focus for most of Roosevelt’s first term as president. The war consumed his third and brief fourth term (he died less than three months into the term). In contrast, a single room in the museum covers his second term between 1936 and 1940, and much of that discusses the situation brewing in Europe.

New Deal exhibit at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Exhibits covering FDR’s second term as president take up very little real estate in the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

While there is a lot to read, the updated museum now as a significant number of videos, audio presentations, and interactive displays. One audio program of note discusses radio broadcasting’s role in presidential affairs. While Roosevelt was not the first president to use radio to get his messages to the public—that was Warren Harding in 1922—he was the first to use it extensively to broadcast information and propaganda. He became known for his Fireside Chats during the Depression, with his first broadcast coming on March 12, 1933. By then, 90 percent of Americans had access to a radio. In the museum is a mockup of a typical America kitchen where visitors can sit and listen to three of his Fireside Chats, including the March 12th broadcast about ending the bank crisis.

Fireside Chat exhibit at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

A popular interactive exhibit dealing with the World War II era is a recreation of Roosevelt’s top-secret map room he had set up in the White House during the war. Army and Navy officers staffed the room 24 hours a day. It is in the map room where Roosevelt kept up with military activities, including the preparation for D-Day. The exhibit allow visitors to examine the same maps Roosevelt used to plan his strategies.

White House top-secret map room exhibit at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

There are still plenty of Roosevelt’s personal possessions on display in the museum, with the cream-of-the-crop being his actual White House desk and chair. These were first used by Herbert Hoover, but he left them at the White House when his term was over. All of the items on the desk belonged to Roosevelt.

FDR’s White House desk and chair on display at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

When the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum opened, Roosevelt had a private office inside that he used when staying at Springwood, his home in Hyde Park. He spent over 250 days in Hyde Park during the war, and he conducted business in the office, met with visitors, and even broadcast some of his Fireside Chats from here. Visitors to the museum can see the actual office—not a reproduction—with all its original furnishings.

FDR’s office inside the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

There was only one modification done to the museum prior to the 2010-13 renovation, and this was an expansion in 1970-72 to include Eleanor Roosevelt’s papers and an Eleanor Roosevelt exhibit area. The renovated museum also has a section dedicated to Eleanor.

Exhibits in the Eleanor Roosevelt wing of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Eleanor Roosevelt’s typewriter on display in the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Roosevelt’s presidential museum is exactly what I expect from such a museum—a complete accounting of his life. I usually read all of the information in National Park museums so I can give those planning a visit an idea of what such a task entails. Since the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is not officially part of the National Park System, I wasn’t dead set on reading everything, though I did attempt to do so for about two and a half hours before giving up. I estimate that the task will take at least four hours, possibly five, and that doesn’t count watching all the videos and playing the with interactive exhibits. Of course, very few people have such a desire, but if you aren’t willing to spend at least an hour or two at the museum, you are just wasting your money.

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