As if living in the White House wasn’t enough, John F Kennedy resided in various formidable houses throughout his life, particularly in his youth as a member of the Kennedy clan. As the second oldest son of businessman and politician Joseph Kennedy Senior, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born into a life of privilege thanks to the shrewd investments and stock market manipulation of his father, whose fortune provided the family with considerable wealth. Here is a look at the childhood homes of John F Kennedy, in chronological order:
83 Beals Street, Brookline, Massachusetts
John F Kennedy lived in this house for the first 3 years of his life, before the Kennedys moved on. The ‘9 room’ house was purchased, for $6,600, by patriarch Joseph Kennedy in 1914 shortly after his honeymoon with his wife Rose Fitzgerald. The couple lived in the house for 6 years and had their first 4 children while residing in this home, 3 of whom (including JFK) were born in the master bedroom. Rose Kennedy hired 2 servants as nanny and maid-of-all-work, both residing in the attic space on the top floor. The basement was also used by the servants as a laundry room, and the kitchen, located on the ground floor, was also primarily their domain. Also on the ground floor was a dining room and a parlour room, which included a piano that was gifted to Rose as a wedding present from her uncles. The floor above was home to the master bedroom, the nursery, which became the boys’ room, and the guest room, which became the girls’ room, as well as a Boudoir for Rose, this acted as a private space and office for the lady of the house. As the family grew, they moved a few blocks away to accommodate the addition of their 5th child. The house is now a museum, read more about it here.
51 Abbotsford Road, Brookline, Massachusetts
JFK lived in this house with his family from the age of 4 to 10. This ‘Victorian style’ house has 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, a perfect size for 3 extra additions to the family brood (7 children at this point). The house not only signified the growth of their family but also their wealth, and Joseph Kennedy’s success as an investor and bank president. The neighbourhood was developing with further and further houses being built, and a larger population. It was in 1927 that Joe Kennedy snr. decided that Boston was no longer a place to raise a family, and moved the clan to New York.
5040 Independence Avenue, Riverdale, New York
This sprawling, 20-room home in the affluent neighbourhood of Riverdale in the Bronx was a significant upgrade for the ever-growing family. The 3-storey stucco build sits on a 1.2 acre corner plot, surrounded by other notable mansions. Despite the prestige of the house Joe Senior was not content and wished for a more opulent residence to reflect the social mobility of the Kennedy family. John F. Kennedy attended nearby Riverdale Country School for 2 years before the family moved again.
294 Pondfield Road, Bronxville, New York
The, now demolished, ‘Crownlands’ estate was the home the Kennedy’s lived in for the longest period of time. From 1929 to 1942 the Kennedy family lived at this 5.5 acre hillside Georgian mansion in New York. This 3-tier house came with residential outbuildings for chauffeurs and gardeners, as well as a 3-car garage. Other staff at the house included a cook, housemaid and personal secretary, who lived within in the main building. There were several gardens on the land, as well as a greenhouse, tennis court and ‘teahouse’. The final 2 Kennedy children were born at a nearby hospital, completing the 10-member family.
Holiday Homes:
940 Nantasket Avenue, Hull, Massachusetts
Before the Kennedys moved out of Boston they holidayed at this 7 bedroom ‘Tudor style’ summer house, which had been built for Rose by her father who owned a larger house nearby. The ‘Honey Fitz Mansion’ includes 6 bathrooms, paved driveway, sunroom, dining room, library, kitchen, butler’s pantry, mudroom, game room and family room. To this day the children’s height markings are etched into a wall.
50 Marchant Avenue, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts
Perhaps the most famous of all the Kennedy homes is their summer house, which soon became known as ‘Kennedy Compound’. This waterfront estate comprised of 3 houses on 6 acres of land with traditional clapboard exteriors, which Joe Kennedy Senior purchased in 1928. On the ground floor of the main house is a living room, dining room, snug (‘television room’), kitchen, pantry, utility room and a guest bedroom that John F Kennedy used before purchasing his own house in the compound. Upstairs are 6 bedrooms, 4 servants bedrooms, a sewing room and a ‘packing room’. The house also has a basement complete with wine cellar, cinema room, and hall, and a full attic. There is a swimming pool, tennis court, 4-car garage and 2 guest houses on the grounds, a boathouse, expanses of lawn and sweeping circular driveways.
1095 North Ocean Boulevard, Palm Beach, Florida
La Querida (also known as ‘La Guerida’) was purchased by Joe Senior for $120,000 during the Depression and remained in the family until its sale in 1995 for $4.9 million. The house sits on 1.6 acres of land with 11 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, a tennis court, swimming pool, and 4-car garage.
See more Kennedy and Kennedy-adjacent homes in other posts such as Jackie and John F Kennedy’s marital homes or Jackie Kennedy’s home history.
images: Creative Commons, google streetview