Sagamore Hill to Close for Renovations

If you want to see the house Teddy built, better go by Dec. 4.

That’s when President historic mansion in Cove Neck will close to the public and undergo what’s expected to be a three-year, $6.2 million restoration, according to the National Park Service.

Sagamore Hill served as the Summer White House from 1902-08 and was designated a National Historic Site by Congress in 1962. The National Park Service gives daily tours ($5) of the mansion, which is filled to the rafters with artifacts of a world traveler and American icon.

Family paintings, hunting trophies and gifts from foreign dignitaries fill the walls. Those priceless heirlooms will soon be catalogued and packed away.

“This project represents a significant investment by the American people ensuring that the Roosevelt home and its irreplaceable collection are protected for future generations to appreciate, gain inspiration and learn from,” said Tom Ross, Sagamore Hill Superintendent.

The project will focus on rehabilitating the home, from the electrical and flooring to a new roof and restoring historic stained glass windows, among other elements. 

The grounds, which include a visitor center, Theodore Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard and nature trail, will remain open.

Roosevelt bought the land and built the Queen Anne-style home in the 1880s, where he eventually raised six children, received world dignitaries and wrote countless books.

Roosevelt named the estate in honor of a local Indian chief, Sagamore Mohannis. Roosevelt died at Sagamore Hill on Jan. 6, 1919. He was 60.