The mansion was originally named 'Leeholm' by Roosevelt’s first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee, before he renamed it Sagamore Hill after a local Native American chief.
The North Room was specifically constructed to host high-level diplomatic meetings, including the negotiations that helped end the Russo-Japanese War.
The house was built with a wide piazza, an architectural feature Roosevelt insisted upon to provide views of Long Island Sound.
The interior contains an original Edison Victrola that Roosevelt famously used to play marches and classical music for his guests.
The grounds feature a pet cemetery where the family's dogs and horses were buried.
The Old Orchard Museum, located on the property, occupies the former home of Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
The house was wired for electricity in 1919, but Roosevelt resisted the installation of many modern appliances during his lifetime.
The exterior shingles are made of cedar, a common material for the era's shingle-style architecture in coastal New York.
Sagamore Hill was the primary residence of Theodore Roosevelt from 1885 until his death in 1919 and served as the 'Summer White House' during his presidency. The Queen Anne-style mansion was designed by architects Lamb and Rich and features 23 rooms, including the iconic North Room, an expansive space added in 1905 to display the president's collection of big-game trophies and gifts from foreign dignitaries. The property spans 83 acres on Long Island's North Shore, encompassing salt marshes, woodlands, and managed meadows. The site is managed by the National Park Service, which provides guided interior tours of the main house. Visitors can explore the grounds, the Old Orchard Museum, and various nature trails that lead down to the beach at Cold Spring Harbor. The residence contains original furnishings, books, and personal effects curated as they were during the Roosevelt family's occupancy. It remains a rare example of a presidential home that retains the vast majority of its original collection.
The front porch of the mansion provides the iconic view of the house exterior and the surrounding manicured lawn.
Book guided house tours well in advance online, as capacity is strictly limited and they often sell out.
Bring comfortable walking shoes to traverse the hilly, unpaved nature trails leading to the shoreline.
Check the National Park Service website before departure for updates on temporary interior maintenance closures.
Do not attempt to walk the grounds without a map, as the wooded trails can be disorienting; avoid visiting without a pre-booked house tour ticket.
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays year-round; closed on major federal holidays.
Photography is permitted on the grounds, but flash and video are strictly prohibited inside the historic house; food and drink are not allowed in the mansion.
