2015 Remembrance

 

The John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site will be open for a special day of remembrance on Sunday, November 22, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Self-guided tours of JFK's birthplace will be available throughout the day. At 11:00 AM, the site will conduct a brief memorial ceremony to honor the legacy of President Kennedy. For more information, call 617-566-7937.

In 1963, the Town of Brookline paid "Final Tribute to Its Most Eminent Son" with a large memorial service in front of the president's birthplace at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts. Town officials, church leaders, Brookline High students, and citizens gathered at 83 Beals Street to pay their respects. The house, a private residence at the time, was repurchased by the Kennedy family in 1966 and gifted to the National Park Service in 1969.

The John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site preserves the birthplace and early boyhood home of the 35th president of the United States. The modest house was the first home shared by the president's parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy. John F. Kennedy, the second of nine children, spent his formative years in Brookline as his family began its rise to national prominence. In 1967, Mrs. Kennedy returned to 83 Beals Street to commemorate her son's life, recreating his birthplace to her recollection of its 1917 appearance.

Except for the special November 22 opening, the site is closed for the winter and reopens to the public in May 2016.