Kennedy Compound

Kennedy Compound
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Main house of the Kennedy Compound (1972).
Location:	100 Marchant Avenue Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, U.S.
Coordinates:	41°37′47.928″N 70°18′8.4954″W
Area:	6 acres (24,000 m²)
Built:	1904
Architect:	Unknown
Architectural style:	clapboard
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	72001302
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	November 28, 1972
Designated NHLD:	November 28, 1972

The Kennedy Compound or Hyannis Port Historic District is the name given to six acres (24,000 m²) of waterfront property on Cape Cod along Nantucket Sound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, United States. It was once the home of American businessman and political figure Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., his wife Rose, and two of their sons, Jack and Bobby. Their youngest son, Ted lived in his parents' house, and it was his main residence from 1982 until his death in 2009.

John used the compound as a base for his successful 1960 U.S. Presidential campaign and later as a summer White House and presidential retreat until his assassination in 1963. Ted died at the compound in 2009 and in 2012 the main house was donated to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, which said the house would eventually be opened to the public.

History

In 1926 Joe rented a summer cottage at 28 Marchant Avenue in Hyannis Port. Two years later, he purchased the structure, which had been erected in 1904, and enlarged and remodeled it to suit his family's needs. In and around this house, their nine children spent their summers, acquiring a lifelong interest in sailing and other competitive activities.

In 1956, Jack bought a smaller home of his own at 111 Irving Avenue ^{(41.6308°N 70.3035°W / 41.6308; -70.3035)}, not far from his father's home. Subsequently, Ted acquired the residence at 28 Marchant Avenue ^{(41.63°N 70.303°W / 41.63; -70.303)} adjacent to the other two in 1959 and sold it to Bobby and his wife Ethel in 1961. Edward lived in the compound until his death.

Layout

All three buildings, none of which is accessible to the public, are white-frame clapboard structures typical of vacation residences on Cape Cod.

Main house

Joe's home, The Main House and the largest of the three, is surrounded by well-tended lawns and gardens and it commands sweeping views of the ocean from its long porches.

On the main floor are a living room, dining room, sun room, television room, the bedroom that John used before he purchased his own house in the compound, the kitchen, and various pantries and utility rooms.

On the second floor are six bedrooms, a sewing room, packing room, and four servants' bedrooms. The house has a full attic.

The basement contains a motion-picture theater and a hall covered with dolls from all around the world. A wine cellar designed after a ship's hull and a sipping room – one of the Kennedy family's favorite hideouts. It is considered the place that Ted coined the well-known toast "There are good ships, and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships, and may they always be."^{[citation needed]}

The house has changed little, either structurally or in furnishings, since John's association with it.

Grounds

Also on the grounds are an enclosed swimming pool, tennis court, and four-car garage and two guest houses.

There are two circular driveways with flagpoles standing in the middle, a boathouse and several large stretches of lawn area where the many family touch football games were played.

Other parcels of land that assorted members of the family have purchased remain as well-tended as those of the more prominent homes.

Sources

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the National Park Service document "The Presidents (Kennedy Compound)".

External links

• Knight, Wendy (August 18, 2006). "A Harbor Full of History and Sea Lore on Cape Cod". The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2009.