50th Commemoration

Mrs. Rose Kennedy addresses the crowd in front of the JFK Birthplace on May 29, 1969.

NPS

On May 29, the site will celebrate its 50th anniversary of being open to the public.

When President Kennedy's mother, Rose, finished restoring her family's first home at 83 Beals Street, she gifted it to the National Park Service in a public ceremony on May 29, 1969. She invited family members, local dignitaries, government officials, clergy, and the general public.

We seek to recreate that event by hosting a ceremony similar to Mrs. Kennedy's. This year's celebration will take place in front of the birthplace from 10:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. We will honor the 50th anniversary, President Kennedy's 102nd birthday, and the work of the Coolidge Corner School third grade, who participated in a month-long exploration on JFK. A separate panel discussion will take place at 2:00 p.m. with Kennedy scholars: David Nasaw, Barbara Perry, and Fredrik Logevall. All are invited to attend and reservations are not needed. We hope you can join us!

Check back nearer the date as we will post updates about confirmed speakers and the run-of-show.

Beals Street will be closed to traffic from 7:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Free, two-hour parking is available on adjacent roads. Paid parking is available on Harvard Street.