Over 800 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Rank the U.S. Presidents' OTHER Houses
Presidential second homes reflect the personal interests of the president who stays in them, as well as their family life, and the increasing access technology would allow. The first presidential estates were family plantations, passed down to men like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson after decades of family ownership. These were massive plots of land, with huge houses, and, unfortunately, extensive numbers of enslaved people.
As technology allowed presidents to travel longer distances faster, presidential second homes began to serve as either summer or winter White Houses, where the administration would set up shop for several weeks at a time either to avoid the heat of Washington, D.C. summers, or the cold of the city's winters. They also served as refuges during times of war, meeting sites for dignitaries, and sometimes, just as a place to get away and do something fun.
As with presidential birthplaces, most of these homes have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. A few are still functioning as private homes, available for purchase at the right price. And a few are gone, torn down to make room for newer, bigger, better houses - but they won't be ones owned by a president.
Vote up the presidential second home you'd most like to get your name on the mortgage of (price not being an object, of course).
The most well-known Jeffersonian estate was Monticello, in Virginia. Jefferson designed and built the estate in the early 1770s, and continued to expand and remodel it after he became president, using European influences he picked up along the way. He used it as a retreat during his presidential term, and was laid to rest there after his passing.
Later, the property fell into disrepair because of family disputes, but was restored after being bought by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation in the 1920s. It's the only private home in the United States designated as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
The Virginia plantation estate had been in the Washington family for decades before George Washington inherited it. He built Mount Vernon, the large home that still stands on it, using it as a retreat and expanding it to 11,000 square feet. The property also had a working farm, ranch, and, in keeping with the times, extensive slave quarters.
It's estimated that Washington spent about 430 days there during his two terms, and after his passing, it passed to his descendants. In 1858, the estate was falling apart and was bought by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, who still own and maintain it.
The estate on Walker's Point in remote Kennebunkport has been in the Bush family since the late 19th century. President Bush made it his summer White House after spending most of his childhood there. Bush entertained foreign dignitaries there, and still spends summers there, though he primarily resides in Texas.
The compound was damaged by storms in 1991, and Bush received a large payout from his flood insurance.
Roosevelt's family had summered in Oyster Bay, NY, for decades. So it was natural for Teddy to buy an 80 acre plot of land in tiny Cove Neck, just north of Oyster Bay, to build his vacation home, which he called Sagamore Hill. He spent much of his time not at the White House there, and passed away in the house in 1919. It underwent a $10 million restoration in 2015.
Perhaps no name evokes presidential power and luxury quite like "Kennedy." The family's Kennedy Compound, exemplifies this, with three massive houses on six acres in the tiny summer community of Hyannis Port, MA. The property had been in the Kennedy family for decades, and John F. Kennedy continued to expand it, buying and selling bits of it from various family members.
It's now on the National Register of Historic Places, and still used for Democratic fundraisers.
Roosevelt's home in Hyde Park, NY, was his birthplace, his lifelong residence, and eventually, his resting place. Roosevelt's father bought it in 1866, and the home was massively rebuilt and expanded over the decades. During his four terms, he used it as a summer White House, hosting royalty, foreign leaders, and celebrities.
After his passing in Warm Springs, GA, he was laid to rest at Springwood, and the property is now a National Historic Site.
