Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library And Museum

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library is the first of our nation’s presidential libraries, and it is the only presidential library ever used by a sitting president. FDR visited the Library often during World War II to sort and classify his records and memorabilia. From his study in the Library Roosevelt delivered several of his famous “fireside chats.”

Prior to Roosevelt, the final disposition of Presidential papers was left to chance. Part of the Presidential Library system of the National Archives and Records Administration, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum is committed to providing ready access to essential evidence that documents the rights of American citizens, the actions of Federal officials, and the national experience. The Library itself is built of Hudson Valley fieldstone in the style reminiscent of the local Dutch colonial architecture that FDR favored. He was intimately involved in the building’s design, which he had built with $376,000 in privately donated funds on a site adjacent to his home on his Hyde Park estate.