Back on November 19, 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt did something completely unprecedented — he placed the cornerstone for a library devoted entirely to his own presidency. No sitting president had ever attempted anything like it. It marked the official start of construction on the 1st Presidential Library.

The Setting: Hyde Park, New York

What made this concept so revolutionary? Before this moment, presidential papers were considered private property. The consequences were predictable: countless documents disappeared over the years, while others were sold off or ended up scattered to the winds. FDR, however, carried a fundamentally different vision.

His goal was total preservation — every letter, speech, memo, press clipping, and personal note — all of it safeguarded and opened up for public access. With that single ambition, he effectively created the blueprint for the modern presidential library.

The Result

FDR wasn't content to simply float the concept — he threw himself into the planning. Back in 1937, he had already sketched out what the building should look like: a Dutch Colonial design featuring fieldstone walls and a steep roof paying homage to Hudson Valley architectural traditions. Henry Toombs, who had collaborated with Roosevelt for years, helped bring the vision into sharper focus. By mid-1939, Louis A. Simon had come aboard as principal architect, and the project gained real momentum.

FDR and his family formally deeded the land to the federal government on July 24, 1939. Construction crews broke ground just weeks afterward. By November 19, with walls already climbing from the Hyde Park fields, Roosevelt stood before a crowd of nearly 1,000 people and ceremonially placed a metal box into the cornerstone.

What did that box contain? Far more than simple paperwork:

  • The Articles of Incorporation for the Roosevelt Library
  • Congressional records and property deeds
  • A speech by U.S. Archivist R.D.W. Connor
  • Copies of local newspapers from the day

Speaking to the assembled crowd, Roosevelt made a pledge: "This wholly adequate building will be turned over… to the Government of the United States next summer without any cost whatsoever to the taxpayers." He also indicated that the collections would welcome the public by the spring of 1941.

The Aftermath

His remarks fueled speculation — was Roosevelt hinting that his time in office was winding down? He wasn't, as it turned out. He would go on to secure not only a third term but a fourth as well. Meanwhile, the FDR Library opened its doors on June 30, 1941, making history as the first instance of a president's papers being organized, preserved, and made publicly accessible while he still held office. The research room followed later, opening after his death in 1945.

The precedent Roosevelt established that day fundamentally transformed how presidential legacies are managed. Congress formalized the system in 1955 with the Presidential Libraries Act. Today, more than a dozen presidential libraries exist across the nation — every one of them rooted in the foundation Roosevelt laid.