From
just driving around the city one might not know it, but nestled on Delaware
Avenue is one of our country’s many historic sites, where major events unfolded right here in Buffalo.
This is, of course, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, where the
young and unaware vice president assumed office as the 26th president on
September 14th, 1901 after the fatal shooting of President William
McKinley. It was a rough time in
our history, with the country coping with the dramatic and unexpected assassination
of a president and the welcoming of a new one with many pressing issues at
hand, some of which we are still facing today, although the times have changed.
The
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, after being closed for over a year and half
will again reopen on Saturday, June 20th to the public with the new interactive exhibits. The site has taken things to the next
level after becoming successful enough to outgrow its own space and become more than an exhibition of the house and belongings of Roosevelt; it is a place to learn
about the issues of the time and how they also apply to our current society.
The
renovations mark the biggest construction project to the house; for the first time,
the mansion is truly accessible for everyone with new measures put in place to
make it handicap accessible with features such as an elevator and handicap accessible
restrooms.
It
also marks the first time the site is climate controlled, which will further
protect the artifacts, as well as enhance the experience and
comfort of the visitors. Although
the addition is now complete, the house itself has still remained the structure from
back in the days of Theodore Roosevelt. A large education and event space is
also included with the finishing of the site for new visitor amenities.
The
new addition to the building has allowed the site to add a gift shop, full of
exciting souvenirs. The downstairs exhibits a new learning and interactive
experience for one to venture around and watch the engaging videos. Buffalo was quite the hub during the days of the Pan
American Exposition, as can be seen in part of the new addition. The interactive, multi-media exhibits
take you back in time and into the shoes of influential politicians of the
time, proving the site would not only be of interest to history buffs.
The
site encompasses the marvelous rooms that Roosevelt once roamed, was
inaugurated in, held cabinet meetings in, sent hundreds of telegrams from and
even wrote the speech to the nation to better cope with the loss of McKinley,
which was as tough as it could be, even for a man who wrote 30 books
himself. The original desk at which he sat
to write is here with its beautifully hand crafted wooden features and old architecture style.
With
the expansion of the site, the upstairs is a new and modern way of not only
exploring the rich history of Roosevelt’s time, but also combining it with the
present and putting forth questions to the visitors of topics such as the
structure of the government and the continuing issue of immigration, which was
also one of the major issues faced by Roosevelt. There is a lot to be learned from the politics of the past
combined with the present and the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site strives to
do just that in a new age way.
Also encompassed in the museum is a recreation of the West Wing Office
from Roosevelt’s time, with a rich compilation of documents and books
written by Roosevelt, as well as many of the important telegrams sent and
delivered through the house when it was a hub of sorts for the new president.
It
is a truly fascinating building made even better with the expansion, and it is a great
place to learn about a young vice president, unexpectedly thrown into the spot
light, with many issues to conquer in his time when the country was devastated with the death of President
William McKinley.
The
building is open seven days a week, with tours offered every hour starting at
9:30AM and 12:30PM on the weekends.
Tours are $10 for adults and $5 for children, with other offers for
families and groups. To get the
most out of your interactive experience, tours are kept small with only 12
people per group.