Visitor Center at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Visitor Center at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historical Site is located on the ground floor of Theodore Roosevelt’s reconstructed brownstone birth home at 28 East 20th Street in Manhattan. Upon the completion of the reconstruction, the brownstone and museum were rededicated and opened to the public on Roosevelt’s birthday in 1923 as a private museum house called The Roosevelt House. The site did not become part of the National Park System until 1962.

OPERATING HOURS

The Visitor Center is open year-round, typically on Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 AM to 4 PM. Keep in mind that times can always change, so be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Plan Your Visit web page for Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site.

AMENITIES

• Information desk where you can ask questions and pick up a park brochure
• Reserve spots for a Ranger-guided tour of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth home
• Museum
• Park film
• Souvenir and bookstore
• Restrooms and free lockers

PARK FILM

The park film shown at the Visitor Center is a 55-minute version of the 14-hour / 7-episode PBS film by Ken Burns, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History. Most visitors don’t have an hour to watch the film, but PBS subscribers can watch all seven episodes online.

EXHIBITS

Theodore Roosevelt’s original birth home was torn down in 1916. Three years later the Women’s Roosevelt Memorial Association purchased the vacant lot along with the brownstone next door, which was the home of Theodore’s uncle, Robert Roosevelt. Because the two homes were identical, Robert’s was used as a model to reconstruct Theodore’s birth home. Once construction was completed, Robert’s brownstone was converted into a museum.

The main room of the museum is lined with display cases showcasing photographs of Roosevelt, political memorabilia, and quotes attributed to him during his lifetime. When entering, to proceed around the exhibits in a somewhat chronological order, start on the left wall and work along the outside. The display cases in the middle of the room provide some background information on members of the Roosevelt family and are not in any specific order, so you can peruse those as you see fit. Depending on how crowded the museum is, it may be easier to walk along the outside perimeter first and then take a second loop around the interior displays.

Overview of display cases in the main museum gallery at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

There is also a section on the reconstruction process of the house and the designing of the museum. Theodate Pope Riddle, the first female architect to be licensed in New York, was hired for the project. She was inducted into the National Institute of Architects in 1918. In addition to being a respected architect, she was involved in many social issues including the women’s suffrage movement. She even survived the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in 1915. In a letter to her mother about the sinking, she writes of a man who grabbed onto her and dragged her under the water, which is exactly what happened to Rose in James Cameron’s blockbuster movie Titanic. It wouldn’t be surprising if this is where Cameron got the idea.

Exhibit about architect Theodate Pope Riddle in the museum at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

The second room of the museum contains a lot more artifacts from Roosevelt’s life. One of the most notable is the shirt he was wearing in 1912 when there was an assassination attempt on his life during a campaign speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Luckily, the bullet only penetrated his glasses case and the folded 50-page speech that was in his pocket, saving his life. The hole from the bullet is still visible in the shirt, case, and speech, which are all on display.

Artifacts in the second room of the museum at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

Shirt, speech, and glasses case with bullet holes from the 1912 Roosevelt assassination attempt in the museum at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

If there is one thing that visitors may associate with the former president, it is teddy bears. The story goes that Roosevelt was on a bear hunting trip in Mississippi on November 14, 1902. At one point his assistants cornered and tied a bear to a tree for Roosevelt to shoot, but he refused, viewing it as extremely unsportsmanlike. Word about what happened spread, with news articles recounting the events and even cartoons depicting the story of the big-game-hunter president who refused to shoot a bear. Brooklyn candy shop owner Morris Michtom, upon seeing one of the cartoons, had an idea. Since he and his wife also made stuffed animals, they decided to create a toy bear and dedicate it to the president, calling them Teddy’s Bear. After receiving permission from President Roosevelt to use his name, the toy bears gained worldwide popularity, and the rest is history.

Teddy bear on display in the museum at Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

The upper floors of the building consist of The Lion’s Room museum gallery, a research library, an artifact storage area, and an auditorium. The research library has limited access and is only used by the National Park Service employees and scheduled visitors with granted permission. The auditorium is currently used to hold programs and events that showcase and honor culture and the arts.

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

Plan to spend at least an hour at the Theodore Roosevelt National Historic Site Visitor Center. That does not include the time it will take to watch the 55-minute park film. I was able to read through all of the exhibits in a little over an hour. Even if you don’t have much interest in Theodore Roosevelt, at least set aside 20 minutes or so to walk through the museum.

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