FDR Suite at Adams House, Harvard University
Encyclopedia
The FDR Suite is a set of rooms at Adams House
, Harvard College
that were occupied by the 32nd president of the United States
, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, from 1900-1904. Currently under restoration, the Suite is being refurbished as a living museum and memorial to President Franklin D. Roosevelt
.
friend Lathrop Brown
engaged rooms in Westmorly Court, (now B-Entry of Adams House). Built in 1898 and designed by the noted architects Warren and Wetmore
(who also were responsible for Grand Central Station in New York) Westmorly was the newest and most luxurious building on what was called Harvard's Gold Coast, an area of luxury apartments for wealthy University students. The first floor suite chosen by FDR was equipped with all the latest innovations – central steam heat, electricity, a modern "hygienic" bathroom, and contained over 600 square feet (55.7 m²) of living space spread across four rooms, with 14' ceilings, French doors, and a working fireplace – all this when only a few buildings at the College enjoyed such modern conveniences. The rooms were meticulously decorated in high Edwardian style by FDR's mother Sara Delano Roosevelt and FDR himself, and were used by FDR during his entire four years at Harvard.
After FDR left Harvard, the rooms were occupied by a succession of students until 1961. In June 1961, during Eleanor Roosevelt
's visit to the College, the former first lady dedicated a plaque commemorating FDR's time there, and the rooms were converted into a study, officially named the "The FDR Suite". After a brief return to student housing in the early 2000s, the rooms were finally set aside in perpetuity with the intention of creating Harvard's first memorial to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The project's honorary chair is Drew Gilpin Faust
, President of Harvard University; the project's chair is Judith Palfrey
M.D., the master of Adams House, guided by a scholarly advisory board that includes, among others, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
and Dr. Cynthia Koch, Director of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum at Hyde Park
; in addition, Dr. Palfrey is assisted by a Committee Board, which includes, among others: James Roosevelt, FDR's grandson; Rev. George Salzmann, Harvard Catholic Chaplin to the Graduate and Professional Schools; and Adams House alum, Michael Weishan
, the former host of the Victory Garden on PBS.
The initial restoration of the FDR Suite is expected to begin in 2009 and be completed in 2012. The Suite will be used as overnight quarters for official Harvard University guests, presidential scholars, and invitees of Adams House. As a museum, the Suite will be open by appointment to members of the greater Harvard Community; the Suite may also, depending on the resolution of various security concerns, eventually be opened to members of the general public on one or two days per year outside of the school term.
Adams House (Harvard University)
Adams House is one of the twelve undergraduate houses at Harvard University, located between Harvard Square and the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Named to commemorate the Adams family, including John Adams, the second president of the United States and John Quincy Adams, the sixth...
, Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
that were occupied by the 32nd president of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, from 1900-1904. Currently under restoration, the Suite is being refurbished as a living museum and memorial to President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
.
Background
In January 1900, 18-year old Roosevelt and his GrotonGroton
Groton is the name of several places :In England:*Groton, Suffolk**Groton WoodIn the United States of America:*Groton, Connecticut, a town**Groton , Connecticut, within the town*Groton, Massachusetts*Groton, New Hampshire*Groton , New York...
friend Lathrop Brown
Lathrop Brown
Lathrop Brown was a United States Representative from New York. Born in New York City, he graduated from Groton School in 1900 and from Harvard University in 1903, where he was roommates with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He engaged in the real estate business and served in Squadron A of the National...
engaged rooms in Westmorly Court, (now B-Entry of Adams House). Built in 1898 and designed by the noted architects Warren and Wetmore
Warren and Wetmore
Warren and Wetmore was an architecture firm in New York City. It was a partnership between Whitney Warren and Charles Wetmore , that had one of the most extensive practices of its time and was known for the designing of large hotels.Whitney Warren was a cousin of the Vanderbilts and spent ten...
(who also were responsible for Grand Central Station in New York) Westmorly was the newest and most luxurious building on what was called Harvard's Gold Coast, an area of luxury apartments for wealthy University students. The first floor suite chosen by FDR was equipped with all the latest innovations – central steam heat, electricity, a modern "hygienic" bathroom, and contained over 600 square feet (55.7 m²) of living space spread across four rooms, with 14' ceilings, French doors, and a working fireplace – all this when only a few buildings at the College enjoyed such modern conveniences. The rooms were meticulously decorated in high Edwardian style by FDR's mother Sara Delano Roosevelt and FDR himself, and were used by FDR during his entire four years at Harvard.
After FDR left Harvard, the rooms were occupied by a succession of students until 1961. In June 1961, during Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
's visit to the College, the former first lady dedicated a plaque commemorating FDR's time there, and the rooms were converted into a study, officially named the "The FDR Suite". After a brief return to student housing in the early 2000s, the rooms were finally set aside in perpetuity with the intention of creating Harvard's first memorial to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The Restoration Plan
Currently, the Suite is the subject of an ambitious restoration plan. The goal is to return to the rooms to their original appearance, complete with period furnishings, fixtures, wall coverings, and ephemera relating to FDR and Harvard life in 1900. When completed, the FDR Suite will be the only existing memorial to the former President at Harvard, as well as a vibrant document of College student life at the turn of the twentieth century.The project's honorary chair is Drew Gilpin Faust
Drew Gilpin Faust
Catherine Drew Gilpin Faust is an American historian, college administrator, and the president of Harvard University. Faust is the first woman to serve as Harvard's president and the university's 28th president overall. Faust is the fifth woman to serve as president of an Ivy League university, and...
, President of Harvard University; the project's chair is Judith Palfrey
Judith Palfrey
Judith Palfrey is the T. Berry Brazelton Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and the author of Community Child Health: An Action Plan for Today and Child Health In America: Making A Difference Through Advocacy , and co-author of the Disney Encyclopedia of Baby and Childcare...
M.D., the master of Adams House, guided by a scholarly advisory board that includes, among others, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer and historian, and an oft-seen political commentator. She is the author of biographies of several U.S...
and Dr. Cynthia Koch, Director of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum at Hyde Park
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
; in addition, Dr. Palfrey is assisted by a Committee Board, which includes, among others: James Roosevelt, FDR's grandson; Rev. George Salzmann, Harvard Catholic Chaplin to the Graduate and Professional Schools; and Adams House alum, Michael Weishan
Michael Weishan
Michael Weishan is perhaps most widely known as the host of the American public television series, The Victory Garden, a position he held from 2001 through 2007...
, the former host of the Victory Garden on PBS.
The initial restoration of the FDR Suite is expected to begin in 2009 and be completed in 2012. The Suite will be used as overnight quarters for official Harvard University guests, presidential scholars, and invitees of Adams House. As a museum, the Suite will be open by appointment to members of the greater Harvard Community; the Suite may also, depending on the resolution of various security concerns, eventually be opened to members of the general public on one or two days per year outside of the school term.
See also
- FDR Presidential Library and Museum http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/
- Adams HouseAdams House (Harvard University)Adams House is one of the twelve undergraduate houses at Harvard University, located between Harvard Square and the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Named to commemorate the Adams family, including John Adams, the second president of the United States and John Quincy Adams, the sixth...
Primary sources
- Roosevelt, Franklin D.; Roosevelt, Elliot, ed. FDR: His Personal Letters (4 vol., 1947); volume one covers Roosevelt's years at Groton and Harvard; pg 371 gives a physical description of the Suite, and includes Roosevelt's own drawing of the floor plan; subsequent letters describe the rooms' decor and furnishing.
Architectural references
- Bainbridge Bunting, Margaret Henderson Floyd, Harvard: An Architectural History, Harvard University Press, 1985.
- Shand-Tucci, Douglass, Harvard University: An Architectural Tour, Princeton Architectural Press, 2001
Biographies of FDR with details of the FDR Suite
- Freidel, Frank. Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Rendezvous with Destiny (1990), One-volume scholarly biography; covers entire life
- Freidel, Frank. Franklin D. Roosevelt (4 vol 1952–73), the most detailed scholarly biography; ends in 1934.
- Smith, Jean Edward FDR 2007 ISBN 978-1-4000-6121-1
- Ward, Geoffrey C. Before The Trumpet: Young Franklin Roosevelt, 1882–1905 details of FDR's Harvard Years