JOFI Wayside: A Nice Place to Raise a Family

The wayside panel is along the walkway next to the house.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Walkway outside 83 Beals Street, Brookline, MA

Amenities

2 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Wheelchair Accessible

On May 29, 1917, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in this house. It was here he took his first steps, spoke his first words, and formed his earliest relationships.

His parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy, purchased 83 Beals Street in 1914, built five years earlier with the latest modern comforts. The move reflected their growing wealth—distinguishing themselves from their grandparents’ working-class, immigrant past.

North Brookline was expanding as new streetcar lines out of Boston spurred the growth of neighborhoods in the surrounding areas. Joseph and Rose chose to settle close to Coolidge Corner, with convenient access to a shopping center, a good public school, two streetcar lines, and Saint Aidan’s Roman Catholic Church.

During their thirteen years in Brookline, the couple welcomed seven of their nine children, three of whom were born in this house. In 1920, anticipating more children, the family moved to a larger home three blocks away. The Beals Street house remained a private residence for forty years until it was repurchased by the Kennedy family to create this memorial site.

Audio description of this wayside (including text and images) is available through this application with a screenreader.