Coordinates: 41°37′49″N 70°18′12″W / 41.63028°N 70.30333°W
| Kennedy Compound | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark District | |
 Main house of the Kennedy Compound (unknown date).
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| Location: | Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, United States |
| Coordinates: | 41°37′49″N 70°18′12″W / 41.63028°N 70.30333°W |
| Area: | 6 acres (24,000 m²) |
| Built/Founded: | 1904 |
| Architect: | Unknown |
| Architectural style(s): | clapboard |
| Governing body: | Private |
| Added to NRHP: | November 28, 1972 |
| Designated NHLD: | November 28, 1972 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 72001302[1] |
The Kennedy Compound or Hyannis Port Historic District is the name given to six acres (24,000 m²) of waterfront property on Cape Cod along Nantucket Sound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, United States.
It contains the home of the prominent American businessman and political figure Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and his wife Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, along with the homes of two of their sons U.S. President John F. Kennedy and U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Their youngest son, US Senator Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy lived in the home of his parents and used it as his main residence from 1982 until his death in 2009.
John used the compound as a base for his successful 1960 U.S. Presidential campaign and later as a summer White House and presidential retreat until his assassination in 1963.
It was suggested on August 27, 2009 — following the death of Joseph Kennedy's last surviving son, U.S. Senator Edward "Ted" M. Kennedy — that the compound could be transformed into an education center and museum.[2]
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History
In 1926 Joseph rented a summer cottage on Marchant Avenue in Hyannis Port. Two years later, he purchased the structure, which had been erected in 1904, and enlarged and remodeled it to suit his family's needs. In and around this house, their nine children spent their summers, acquiring a lifelong interest in sailing and other competitive activities.
In 1956, three years after his marriage, John bought a smaller home of his own on Irving Avenue, not far from his father's home. Subsequently, Robert acquired a residence adjacent to the other two. Ted lived in the compound until his death.
The compound also contains houses of non-Kennedy members.[clarification needed]
Layout
All three buildings, none of which is accessible to the public, are white-frame clapboard structures typical of vacation residences on Cape Cod.
Main house
Joseph's home, the largest of the three, is surrounded by well-tended lawns and gardens and it commands sweeping views of the ocean from its long porches.[3]
On the main floor are a living room, dining room, sun room, television room, the bedroom that John used before he purchased his own house in the compound, the kitchen, and various pantries and utility rooms.[3]
On the second floor are six bedrooms, a sewing room, packing room, and four servants' bedrooms. The house has a full attic.[3]
The basement contains a motion-picture theater and a hall covered with dolls from all around the world[3]. A wine cellar designed after a ship's hull and a sipping room[clarification needed] — one of the Kennedy family's favorite hideouts.[3] It is considered the place that Ted coined the well-known toast "There are good ships, and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships, and may they always be"[citation needed]
The house has changed little, either structurally or in furnishings, since John's association with it.
Grounds
Also on the grounds are an enclosed swimming pool, tennis court, and four-car garage and two guest houses.
There are two circular driveways with flagpoles standing in the middle, a boathouse and several large stretches of lawn area where the many family touch-football games were played.
Other parcels of land that assorted members of the family have purchased remain as well-tended as those of the more prominent homes.
The best way to view the house is to park at the Hyannis Port Yacht Club and walk out on to the beach. Take a right from the Yacht Club walkway, and it is the second house on the right as you proceed up the beach.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
- ^ Staff writer (August 27, 2009). "Kennedy Compound to Be Converted to Museum — Sen. Edward Kennedy Succumbed to Brain Cancer at the Compound Tuesday Night and the Family Held a Private Mass for the Legendary Senator Thursday Morning". Fox News. Accessed August 29, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/presidents/site30.htm
Sources
External links
- Knight, Wendy (August 18, 2006). "A Harbor Full of History and Sea Lore on Cape Cod". The New York Times. http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/08/18/travel/escapes/18down.html?pagewanted=print. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
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