MISSION

Roosevelt House, a landmarked double-townhouse on East 65th Street on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, was the historic New York City home of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin’s mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt. After Sara’s death in 1942, President Roosevelt was pleased to sell the House to Hunter College for use as a student center. An integral part of the College since 1943, the house has undergone an extensive renovation and re-opened in spring 2010 as the home of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. The transformation of Roosevelt House into a state-of-the-art facility for the College provides the first living memorial to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in New York City and an exciting opportunity to build on their far-reaching contributions to the nation and the world. 

The Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute is dedicated to innovative approaches to teaching, research, and public programming. Located in the heart of New York City, the institute provides a platform from which high quality scholarship effectively informs and influences public debate and public life.

The mission of Roosevelt House is three-fold: to educate students in public policy and human rights, to support faculty research, and to foster creative dialogue. The new institute provides opportunities for students to analyze public policy and experience meaningful civic engagement; for faculty to research, teach, and write about important issues of the day; and for scholarly and public audiences to participate in high-profile lectures, seminars and conferences.