14 September

On September 14, 1901, a private residence in Buffalo, New York, suddenly became part of American history when Vice President Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office as the 26th President of the United States inside the library of the Ansley Wilcox House. The ceremony took place only hours after President William McKinley died following an assassination attempt. Roosevelt took the presidential oath at approximately 3:32 p.m.

The house belonged to prominent Buffalo lawyer Ansley Wilcox and his wife, Mary Grace Wilcox. Wilcox and Roosevelt had been friends for years and shared interests in civil service reform and conservation. Roosevelt stayed at the Wilcox residence during the tense hours following McKinley’s death, and the house was ultimately selected as the location for the unexpected presidential inauguration.

The building itself has a much longer history than the dramatic event of 1901. Its earliest section was associated with a military post in Buffalo before the property was converted into a private residence. During the late 19th century, the Wilcox family substantially improved and expanded the property, transforming it into an imposing urban residence.

According to the National Park Service, the Wilcoxes redesigned both the interior and exterior of the house and converted two first-floor parlours into a large library. That library was later meticulously restored to its 1901 appearance and remains the central space associated with Roosevelt’s inauguration.

The property also demonstrates how a private urban residence can evolve into a nationally significant heritage site. After the Wilcox family period, the building went through several changes and was eventually used as a restaurant. During the 1960s, the historic house faced the possibility of demolition, but preservation efforts helped save the property.

The building was restored and became a national historic site in 1970. On September 14, 1971, exactly 70 years after Roosevelt’s inauguration, it opened to the public as a historic site. Today, the Ansley Wilcox House preserves not only the memory of a sudden presidential transition but also an important example of historic-property preservation and adaptive reuse in an American city.