The Bronx estate where JFK lived as a child seeks $6.4 million

One of the homes that the late President John F. Kennedy lived in, as a preteen, has hit the market for $6.4 million.

The estate at 5040 Independence Ave. in the Bronx consists of two residences: The guest house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms across roughly 2,000 square feet with an attached two-car garage. The primary house has nine bedrooms and nine bathrooms across 17,620 square feet and a 10-car garage.

The entrance to the primary home reminds listing agent Dustin Crouse of the Guggenheim, the famous New York City art museum.

"When you enter, one of the most unique features is a three-story atrium in the center," Crouse, of Douglas Elliman, said in an interview. "It really looks like a rotunda. It's not spiral like the Guggenheim, but it almost makes you feel like there's greater accessibility to all the other floors."

(A view of the third floor inside 5040 Independence shows the skylight above. (Rinze van Brug)

(The view of the central room and atrium from the main floor. (Rinze van Brug)

The atrium is one distinctive feature of the home, but the property's ties to JFK also make it noteworthy, Crouse said.

To be sure, John F. Kennedy was born in Massachusetts and spent most of his early childhood in New England. A young JFK and his family moved to 5040 Independence in 1927 while he attended Riverdale Country School. The family sold the property in September 1929, according to the website for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

(Riverdale Country School opened in 1907. (Deawell Adair/CoStar)

Since then, other families have owned the mansion and done renovations over the decades, Crouse said.

But there were prolonged periods when the home sat vacant, and the front door was sealed over with concrete, The New York Times reported in 2013.

Riverdale's parks and forestland are a big draw

JFK's former home is in Riverdale — a neighborhood that's technically in the Bronx but looks nothing like the concrete jungle most people associate with New York City. Parks and untouched forests are predominant. The neighborhood's main attraction is the Wave Hill Public Garden & Cultural Center, 28 acres of protected woodlands.

(Wave Hill Public Gardens & Cultural Center dates to 1965. (Deawell Adair)

Van Cortlandt Park, a 1,146-acre property where New Yorkers go horseback riding, mountain biking, swimming and hiking, is to the east. New Yorkers have flocked to Riverdale because the area is close to Manhattan, and the housing styles run the gamut.

(The formal living room features arched doorways and recessed lighting. (Rinze van Brug)

(Long counters line the kitchen. (Rinze van Brug)

Ref: The Bronx estate where JFK lived as a child seeks $6.4 million