[photo] See caption below for details.
Home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The original 100 acres of the Hyde Park estate to be known as Springwood, or "The Big House," was purchased by FDR's father James and his first wife Rebecca Howland in 1867. The main house of the estate was at that time a rambling 15-room Italianate style farmhouse, which was renovated several times by the Roosevelt family. The last and most far-reaching renovation was carried out by FDR and his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, in 1915-16, involving the addition of two fieldstone wings, construction of a full third story and the addition of a semi-circular portico on the east façade.

This manor house served as the centerpiece of the estate, which grew to some 1200 acres during FDR's lifetime, and served as the family seat for FDR and his family, despite additional homes in Warm Springs, Georgia; Washington D.C.; Campobello Island off the coast of Maine; and New York City.


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