Lee Harvey Oswald Rooming House
The house at 1026 N. Beckley Avenue in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, Texas was the temporary residence of Lee Harvey Oswald at the time of the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy. Oswald rented a room at this house for $8 a week, beginning October 14, 1963, under the name O.H. Lee.[1] The building is located approximately 2 miles from the Texas School Book Depository, where Oswald began working on October 16.
| Lee Harvey Oswald Rooming House | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location in Texas  Lee Harvey Oswald Rooming House (the United States) | |
| General information | |
| Location | 1026 N. Beckley Avenue, Dallas, Texas |
| Coordinates | 32.7556672°N 96.822885°W |
| Construction started | 1935 |
History
Built in 1935,[2] the three-bedroom home was bought by Gladys Johnson in 1943.[3] It is now within the Lake Cliff historic district.[3][4] Johnson's granddaughter, Patricia Hall, restored Oswald's bedroom and maintains the living room as it was in 1963 when Johnson's housekeeper, Earlene Roberts, was interviewed there after the assassination. Since 2009, she has opened the house for paid tours as the Oswald Rooming House Museum.[4][5][6]
Kennedy assassination
Beginning October 14, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald rented a small room in the Johnson house for $8 a week.[3] He slept there on weeknights, and went back on weekends to suburban Irving, where his wife and children were living.[7] On the date of the assassination, November 22, Oswald returned to his room immediately after shooting President John F. Kennedy from a sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository. According to housekeeper Roberts, Oswald entered the home in a "hurry", grabbed a jacket and left on foot three to four minutes later. He made no comment to Earlene when she told him about the assassination of JFK, which was now all over the news and on TV.[8]
Shortly thereafter, Oswald was confronted by Dallas Police officer J.D. Tippit less than a mile away from the house.[6] After exchanging a few words, Oswald fatally shot Tippit; a short time later, he was arrested at the Texas Theatre.
See also
- Ruth Paine Home, the house in Irving where Oswald spent the night before the assassination with his wife
References
- Warren Commission Hearings, Volume X p. 294 Testimony of Mrs. Arthur Carl (Gladys J.) Johnson
- "Dallas Central Appraisal District".
- Appleton, Roy (May 31, 2013). "Lee Harvey Oswald's rooming house in Oak Cliff can be yours for $500,000". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- Babb, Christina Hughes (May 16, 2022). "Lee Harvey Oswald slept here, the rooming house that made Oak Cliff famous". Oak Cliff Advocate. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- Johnston, Chuck (May 9, 2013). "House where Lee Harvey Oswald stayed to go up for sale". CNN. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- Granberry, Michael (November 21, 2018). "Dallas is weirdly obsessed with the houses where Oswald lived, but gentrification poses a threat". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- Smith, Chris (September 20, 2019). "To this day, Ruth Paine lives with the murder of JFK". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- Warren Commission Hearings, Volume VI p. 434 Testimony of Mrs. Earlene Roberts
External links
Further reading
- Myers, Dale K. (1998). With Malice: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Murder of Officer J.D. Tippit. ISBN 0-9662709-7-5.