Text: Julie Schwietert Collazo
Photos: Francisco Collazo
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It’s hard to believe if you’re not a New Yorker, but after you’ve lived here a while, this city starts to seem small.
There’s always something to do, but the city is compact enough to feel like you know every one of its corners.
And then you stumble upon something like the birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt.
Teddy, the 26th President of the United States, was born in Manhattan and lived in this home on E. 20th Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway until he was 14, when he moved uptown to the 50s.
Though we all think we know the Roosevelt presidents well (at least compared to a more obscure president, like Grover Cleveland), Francisco and I learned a heap about Teddy and his family during a visit to his birthplace last year.
His father was one of the founders of the American Museum of Natural History uptown, and Teddy took a turn in office as governor of New York before running as vice-president and eventually assuming the presidency after the assassination of McKinley.
Roosevelt didn’t let his size slow him down; he was an avid naturalist and sportsman who enjoyed keeping detailed narratives of his travels. Many of these were published, including Big Game Hunting in the Rockies and on the Great Plains and African Game Trails.
He also enjoyed bringing home trophies from his travels, some of which are on prominent display at the birthplace.
Theodore Roosevelt’s birthplace is a National Historic Site run by the National Parks Service. If you’d like to visit, the home is open Tuesday-Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM, with 30-minute tours offered every hour on the hour between 10 and 4. Admission is free.
free! i’m sold!
Right?! I think you’d really like the house, Matt.
this post makes me so happy! I got my wedding dress at a place down the street and when I went for my fittings my sisters and mom and I stayed at the store and my dad took my fiance here to kill some time. They had so much fun they were an hour late to pick us up
Morgan- I can hardly believe it! In all the time I’ve lived in New York, I’ve never met anyone else who has been to Theodore Roosevelt’s home or even knew about it! I’m glad this brought back good memories!