Franklin D. Roosevelt and his family lived at the R Street address from 1918 to 1920, and at the White House from 1933 to 1945.
Eleanor Roosevelt was the longest-serving First Lady, and took on many presidential roles following her husband’s partial paralysis from polio, giving speeches and campaigning for his re-elections. She was the first First Lady to hold press conferences, and write a syndicated newspaper column. She was an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, civil rights, and the human rights of war refugees. After her husband’s death, she was a delegate to the United Nations and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She chaired the John F. Kennedy administration’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.
Eleanor is the author of three memoirs: This Is My Story (1937), This I Remember (1950), and On My Own (1959). Her syndicated column, “My Day,” which appeared six days a week from 1936 to 1962 has been preserved in a “comprehensive, electronic edition” at George Washington University.
Eleanor and Franklin had six children; of the five who survived, three became writers. The oldest, James Roosevelt II, lived next door to his parents on R Street.
The Homes
2131 R Street NW, Washington, DC (Ambassador’s residence of the Republic of Mali)
Also home to: Anna Roosevelt Halsted Elliott Roosevelt
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC (The White House)
Built of Aquia Creek sandstone, this 130-room Neoclassical mansion was largely destroyed by arson during the War of 1812, and reconstructed in 1817. Additions include the South Portico (1824), the North Portico (1829), the West Wing (1901), and the Oval Office (1909). In 1949, the inside was completely gutted to stabilize the building with steel framing. The grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. in 1935. The mansion was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
Also home to: Rose Elizabeth Cleveland Ulysses S. Grant John Hay Herbert Hoover Paul Jennings John F. Kennedy Alice Roosevelt Longworth Anna Roosevelt Halsted Elliott Roosevelt James Roosevelt II Theodore Roosevelt Helen Herron Taft Margaret Truman Edith Bolling Galt Wilson
Eleanor Roosevelt
2131 R Street NW, washington, DC
Located in Sheridan/Kalorama neighborhood, Northwest - East of Rock Creek
Eleanor Roosevelt
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Located in Lafayette Square neighborhood, Northwest - East of Rock Creek