The Kennedy home was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, and was established as a National Historic Site on May 26, 1967. The house was purchased by Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr. on August 20, 1914 in preparation for his marriage to Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald on October 07, 1914.

President Kennedy and his sisters Rosemary and Kathleen were born in the upstairs master bedroom. The family lived there until 1920, when the growth of the family motivated the Kennedys to move to a larger home just a few blocks away on the corner of Abbottsford and Naples Roads. The Kennedys sold the Beals Street house to Joe Kennedy's advisor Edward Moore and his family.