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.