Landscape Information
Originally inhabited by the native Wappinger peoples and developed by settlers in the mid-eighteenth century, this topographically varied land along the Hudson River was acquired by James Roosevelt beginning in 1867 and bequeathed to his son Franklin in 1900. The family residence, Springwood (expanded in 1916 by Hoppin & Koen), is situated on a relatively level terrace on the edge of an escarpment, affording expansive views of open fields, woodlands, an apple orchard, and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. A linear drive bordered by a maple allée approaches the house from Route 9, bisecting a large, rectangular field, before curving southwest. Irregular plantings of spruce and maple shield the residence from the road. The grove extends south, providing an eastern backdrop for the residence’s southern lawn. Between 1912 and 1944 Roosevelt enlarged the estate to encompass approximately 1,500 acres.
A kitchen garden northeast of the house was transformed into a formal, L-shaped garden in 1912, partially surrounded by hemlock hedges, featuring fourteen rows of roses and two lawns bordered by herbaceous plantings. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt (along with their dogs, Fala and Chief), were later buried in the garden. The property opened to the public in 1946 and is the only location in the nation where a president was born, lived throughout his life, and is buried.
Established in 1939, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum occupies a sixteen-acre parcel of the property. The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site is managed together with Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site and the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site under the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1966 and is located within the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.
