The Kennedys are the closest thing to American royalty, and much like actual nobility, the politically influential brood possesses several luxe properties. The Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, though, is undoubtedly their favorite getaway.
“I’ve always been really interested in stories with a strong sense of place, and I’ve also been interested in people we think we know and looking at them through a different lens,” Kate Storey, the author of “White House by the Sea,” told WWD. “What drew me to the subject was thinking about these houses, and thinking about the Kennedys not as this incredibly important, famous family, but as neighbors and how they fit into this community.”
Storey’s book, out now, charts the history of the Kennedy Compound and sheds light on some of the family’s favorite memories there. Ahead, an inside look at their grand Hyannisport homes.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1929: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Corbis via Getty Images Joe and Rose Kennedy pose for a picture on the beach at Hyannisport with their eight children in 1929.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1930s: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Getty Images A portrait of the Kennedy family in the 1930s. Seated from left, Robert Kennedy, Edward Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., Eunice Kennedy, Rosemary Kennedy and Kathleen Kennedy. Standing from left, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., John F. Kennedy, Rose Kennedy, Jean Kennedy and Patricia Kennedy.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1948: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Corbis via Getty Images The Kennedy family at Thanksgiving at Hyannisport in 1948. From left: John F. Kennedy, Jean Ann Smith, Rose Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy Sr., Patricia Lawford, Robert F. Kennedy, Eunice Mary Shriver and Edward Kennedy.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Corbis via Getty Images Ted and John F. Kennedy on a sailboat at Hyannisport.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1953: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive Senator John F. Kennedy and fiancée Jacqueline Bouvier at the Kennedy Compound in 1953.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1953: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Getty Images Senator John F. Kennedy and fiancée Jacqueline Bouvier at the Kennedy Compound in 1953.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive Senator John F. Kennedy and fiancée Jacqueline Bouvier play tennis.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1953: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes Through the Years
Image Credit: Getty Images Senator John F. Kennedy and fiancée Jacqueline Bouvier go sailing in 1953.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1953: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Getty Images Senator John F. Kennedy and fiancée Jacqueline Bouvier at the Kennedy Compound in 1953.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 160: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Getty Images Jacqueline Bouvier at the Kennedy Compound in 1960.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1960: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive Senator John F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy and their daughter Caroline in 1960.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive Senator John F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy and their daughter Caroline.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1960: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Bettmann John, Jacqueline, Joe, Rose Kennedy, Robert and Ethel Kennedy at the Kennedy Compound in 1960.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1960: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive Jacqueline Kennedy holds up a newspaper with a picture of her husband during the 1960 election.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1960s: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images John F. Kennedy and his children at the Kennedy Compound in the 1960s.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1961: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive The President’s House in 1961 in Hyannisport, Massachusetts.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 191: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive President Kennedy meets with top-ranking advisors in 1961.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1963: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes Through the Years
Image Credit: Getty Images Walter Cronkite, left, and John F. Kennedy at the Kennedy Compound in 1963.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1970: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Senator Ted Kennedy speaks to NBC News’ Barbara Walters during an interview in 1970.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1975: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Jackie Onassis, Caroline Kennedy, Rose Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy celebrate Caroline’s graduation From Concord Academy in 1975.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1980: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Joe Kennedy, Sargent Shriver and friends of the Kennedys play touch football at the Kennedy Compound in 1980.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1980: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty John F. Kennedy Jr. sailing in Hyannisport in 1980.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1981: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Cheryl Tiegs and tennis pro Ilie Nastase during the 10th Robert F. Kennedy Pro-Celebrity Tennis Tournament at the Kennedy Compound in 1981.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 1990: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Getty Images The Big House in 1990.
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Inside the Kennedy Compound, 2008: Photos of The Family’s Hyannisport Homes
Image Credit: Getty Images An aerial view of the Kennedy Compound in 2008.