Boyhood Home of President Bill Clinton

This historic home is nationally significant for its association with President Bill Clinton (b.1946), who lived in this house from 1954 to 1961. It was during this period that he gained an interest in pursuing a career in public service. In addition to its connection to Clinton, the house, which was built in 1900, is also an excellent example of Tudor Revival architecture. It features an exterior built with native stone, stucco, and half-timbering, and a porch with a curved roof and a railing with decorative wooden panels. Clinton served in as president from 1993 to 2001. The house is a private residence and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Civil War veteran Charles Birnbaum built the house in 1900 in the Queen Anne style. Birnbaum, who was born in Ohio, arrived in Hot Springs with his wife Catherine in the early 1880s. He worked as a wholesale grocer and became a member of the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce in 1894. Catherine was a founding member and supporter of the Interstate Orphans Home, which is now the Ouachita Children's Center. Birnbaum died in 1901 and Catherine died in 1938. After the house was sold in 1938, the new owners converted it into the Tudor Revival style. Today, it is also known as the Birnbaum-Shubetz House, named after Birnbaum and the owners who occupied it when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Bill Clinton and his mother, Virginia, moved to Hot Springs from the town of Hope in 1953 after she married her second husband, who operated a car business. They moved into the house the next year. Clinton attended St. John's Elementary School, Ramble Elementary School, and Hot Springs High School. During these years, his long-term career interests in music or medicine changed to politics. He attended Georgetown University and then earned a law degree from Yale University, where he met his future wife, Hillary Rodham. After serving as Arkansas Attorney General, Clinton was elected governor in 1978. He lost his reelection bid in 1980 but ran again in 1982 and won. He served as governor until he was elected president in 1992.

Baldwin, Robin L. "Birnbaum House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. May 18, 1995. https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/GA0144-pdf.

Hendricks, Nancy. "Bill Clinton Boyhood Home." Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Last Updated December 12, 2016. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/bill-clinton-boyhood-home-7952.