John F. Kennedy NHS preserves the birthplace of America’‘s 35th president. In 1967, the president’‘s mother returned here, where Kennedy spent his boyhood, and restored the house to her recollection of its 1917 appearance. Each year, thousands of visitors join NPS staff to share Mrs. Kennedy’‘s memories in a tour of the house and neighborhood that, in her words, hold many happy memories.
The Basics
Hours:
John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site is located in a residential neighborhood. While the grounds are accessible year-round, the house is open to the public seasonally.
During 2007, the site is open to the public from May 23 until September 30. Hours of operation during the public season are Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Address:
83 Beals Street
Brookline, MA 02446
Phone:
617-566-7937
Directions
From points east and west Follow I-90/ Massachusetts Turnpike and take exit 18 Allston/Brighton (eastbound), OR exit 20 Brighton/Cambridge (westbound) onto Cambridge Street, and proceed approximately one mile. At the fourth traffic light, turn left onto Harvard Street and proceed for about one mile. Turn left onto Beals Street and continue to #83.
From points north and south Take I-95 to exit 20 and follow Route 9E/Boylston Street for approximately five miles. Turn right onto Walnut Street and then immediately right onto Harvard Street. Proceed along Harvard Street for one mile, turn right onto Beals Street, and continue to #83.
Climate
New England enjoys four distinct seasons, and the weather is known for being highly variable. Summers can be pleasant or hot and humid, and winter can be moderate, or frigid and snowy. Dressing in layers is advisable, as the temperature can drop significantly from day to night, even in the summer, and breezes can be chilly.
House tours: When the Kennedy family donated the house at 83 Beals to the National Park Service as a “gift to the American people,”the president’s mother hoped that future generations would be able to visit and “get a better appreciation of the history of this wonderful country.” Today visitors can experience Mrs. Kennedy’s recreation of these early years on two kinds of house tours.
On guided tours, National Park Service rangers lead small groups back in time through the principal rooms of the birthplace, where Mrs. Kennedy personally assembled and arranged a collection of household furnishings, photographs, and significant mementos. Highlights of the collection include the bed in which John F. Kennedy was born in his parents’ second-floor room, the bassinette that cradled him during his first nights in the nursery, the silver porringer bearing his initials, and the piano on which he later took lessons. Guided tours last 30 minutes; please contact the site for the current tour schedule.
On self-guided tours, visitors can view the principal rooms of the house at their own pace, following an audiotour in which Mrs. Kennedy shares her personal reminiscences of family life at 83 Beals Street when “life was so much simpler.” The narrative—available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese—describes many of the objects that became nostalgic symbols of times past, including a baby bonnet embroidered with Irish shamrocks and an icebox in the kitchen. Mrs. Kennedy’s voice evokes a different age, when the aroma of Boston baked beans, slowly simmering in the coal-burning range, summoned the Kennedy children from their play in the yard to supper. Self-guided tours are available Wednesday through Sunday, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and by special arrangement. Please contact the site for more information.
Neighorhood tours: Visitors can enjoy self-guided walking and special ranger-led tours of the neighborhood where Rose and Joseph Kennedy began their life together and joined their early hopes and ambitions to the promise of the vibrant and growing community in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner. For 10 years these neighborhood streets linked the daily life of Jack Kennedy to those of neighbors, friends and schoolmates. Walking tours guide the visitor through much of the Kennedy-era streetscape and in the footsteps of a young boy whose future course would lead to the White House. Brochures for the self-guided walking tour are available at the park's Visitor Center. To schedule a guided walking tour, please contact the site.
