Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace Closed Temporarily for Repairs
The National Park Service (NPS) today announced that
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site is closing immediately
to undergo safety-related repairs. The home, located in lower Manhattan on
East 20th Street, is the birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th
President of the United States.
A recent inspection conducted by an independent contractor noted several
life-safety code deficiencies, to include the exterior emergency fire
escape. The NPS accepted a recommendation to close the site because the
building must have two primary means of egress, to include the deficient
metal fire escape stair tower attached to the back of the building.
The park has submitted a request for funds to replace the fire exit stair
tower and is working out the details of a contract to bring the fire escape
into compliance with established life-safety codes. The NPS anticipates
that the site will remain closed for up to 90 days.
About Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, lived at this
site from his birth on October 27, 1858 until he was 14 years old. The
reconstructed house contains five period rooms, two museum galleries and a
bookstore. Roosevelt's original birthplace was demolished in 1916. After
Roosevelt's death in 1919, the site was purchased by the Women's Roosevelt
Memorial Association, rebuilt and decorated with many of its original
furnishings by Roosevelt's sisters and wife.