Childhood Homes of the Past Five Presidents
We often think of the U.S. presidents living in the White House and enjoying the many amenities of the iconic Washington D.C. home (including a bowling alley in the basement). But when we look at the past five presidents, we see that the homes they grew up in tell a different story.
As former President Bill Clinton explained, “Birthplace homes are important for a couple of reasons. First of all, they tell a lot about the roots of the person who subsequently became president. And they also tell a lot about how people lived at a certain place at a certain time.”
How does your childhood home compare to the childhood homes of the past five presidents of the United States?
#46: Where Did President Joe Biden Grow Up?
Attribution: @karentravers – Twitter
President Joe Biden grew up at 2446 N. Washington Ave. in Scranton, PA. It’s a two-story clapboard in the Irish-Catholic neighborhood of Green Ridge.
According to Zillow, the value of the home is currently estimated at about $169,000. That’s higher than the median listing price for North Scranton, which Realtor.com estimates at $92,400. However, neighboring properties to Biden’s childhood home are comparatively priced.
Over the years, it has continued to be a family home. The owner who bought the house in 1962 lived there for at least 46 years while raising a family.
The lack of recent real estate transactions means we don’t have recent accessor information to identify the home’s square footage or if it has a basement. Presumably, the home’s history will add to its value. On election day in 2020, Biden visited the home, signing the wall “From this house to the White House with the grace of God.”
#45: Where Did Former President Donald Trump Grow Up?
Attribution: Inside Edition – YouTube
Former President Donald Trump lived at 8515 Wareham Place in Queens during his early childhood years. The 2,500-square-foot Tudor-style home has five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.
Trump lived in this house from birth to age four, and there’s a small upstairs bedroom that was likely his. Donald’s father, Fred Trump, left his mark on the house. If you pull up the wooden floor saddle that’s on the threshold of the front door, the Trump name is supposedly etched into the structure.
The interior has been updated over the years, and the home now has even more usable square footage with a finished basement that includes a bonus room and full bathroom.
After four years, the Trump family moved around the corner to a brick colonial at 8514 Midland Parkway. The new house is nearly double the size at about 4,158 square feet. Built in the 1930s and set on 0.41 acres, the current value is estimated to be about $1.5 million, according to Zillow. Trump lived there until age 13 when he went to New York Military Academy.
#44: Where Did Former President Barack Obama Grow Up?
Attribution: Forbes – Twitter
Former President Barack Obama moved around quite a bit during his early years. But one of his most notable childhood homes is located at 2234 University Ave. in Honolulu’s Manoa Valley. His family moved to this Craftsman-style house in 1964 when Obama was just a few years old.
Built in 1947, the 1,976-square-foot home is on a quarter-acre lot. Public records indicate that the house has a pier foundation and no basement. It had undergone a major remodel in 1960, a few years before Obama lived there with his family. The property also has a small studio cottage that’s barely bigger than a tiny house at just 292 square feet.
Obama’s childhood home is estimated to be valued at $2.1 million, which is due to both the high cost of real estate in Hawaii and the historical significance of the home.
The former president lived there for four years, and then six-year-old Barack Obama moved with his family to Jakarta, Indonesia. After returning to Hawaii, Obama’s family moved to a 12-story apartment building called the Punahou Circle Apartments. Located just a four-minute drive away from their previous house, his new address was 1617 S. Beretania St. He lived here from 1971 to 1979 when he graduated from high school. Units vary in size, and a two-bedroom is 995 square feet.
The apartment building does have a basement. In 2008 when then-Senator Obama visited his ailing grandmother who still lived there, his motorcade was able to drive directly into the building’s lower level and access his grandmother’s apartment through an interior elevator.
#43: Where Did Former President George W. Bush Grow Up?
Attribution: George W. Bush Childhood Home – Facebook
This home in Midland, TX, is the only private house in the country that has been home to two presidents and a governor.
In 1951, former President George H.W. Bush Sr. moved his family to this 1,502-square-foot house located at 1412 W. Ohio Ave. At the time, former President George W. Bush was just five years old, and Gov. Jeb Bush had yet to be born.
The single-story home was built in 1940. The traditional style was classic for the era and was a precursor to the ranch-style homes that eventually became popular. Like many homes in the area, it did not have a basement. Rather than being a simple square, the floorplan has a unique shape with two bedrooms and bay windows creating pop-outs on three out of the four exterior walls. See what the home looked like in the 1950s with this historic photo of father, son, and the family dog.
The house is now on the National Register of Historic Places and was transformed into a museum. During the restoration, the museum team found significant water damage and other structural problems that needed to be addressed.
The house is now set up to look like it did in the 1950s, and you can take a virtual tour by looking at photos shared by museum visitors.
#42: Where Did Former President Bill Clinton Grow Up?
Attribution: National Park Service – Pinterest
Former President Bill Clinton spent the first four years of his life in a two-story home at 117 S. Hervey St. in Hope, AR. Because Clinton’s father was killed before his birth, it was home to Clinton, his mother, and his maternal grandparents.
Clinton has said that this home was formative to his life. He said, “I believe that if I had been born in a bigger place 10 years later, I’d probably never have become president.”
Built in 1917, it’s a classic foursquare. The main floor has a kitchen, living room, and dining room. The home’s three bedrooms are upstairs. Much of the house structure has remained unchanged despite having several owners over the years. The wood floors, door facings, stairs, and basement all remain the same. The home became a historic site in 1994 and became a part of the National Park System in 2010. You can see inside the home via the museum’s virtual tour.
Interestingly, an exact replica of this home was built in Okinawa, Japan, by an eccentric Japanese businessman. Period furnishings were shipped from antique stores in the U.S. to recreate the childhood home that’s more than 7,000 miles away from the original.
Are you wondering if your home will go down in the history books? Get a free inspection from one of our foundation and basement experts to learn about the health of your home and its structural stability.