Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the four-term president of the United States who was faced with not only the Great Depression and World War II, but living with polio, loved the Hudson River Valley. FDR designed his own presidential library, the nation's first, while still in his second term and built it next to his lifelong home in Hyde Park. He actually used the study while president and often would be in residence while the library was open to the public; it is the only presidential library to have been used by a sitting president. See his cluttered White House desk (left as it was the last day of his presidency), exhibits on the FDR presidency and times, and FDR's beloved 1936 Ford Phaeton, with the original hand controls that allowed him to travel all over the estate. Two wings added in memory of his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, make this the only presidential library to have a section devoted to a first lady. Springwood, the house next door, was built by FDR's father; FDR expanded the modest farmhouse in an eclectic Dutch Colonial style. The home isn't grand by the standard of the great river estates, but FDR entertained Churchill, the king and queen of England, and other dignitaries here. FDR and Eleanor are buried in the rose garden on the grounds. The Wallace Center, an impressive new visitor center at the entrance to the library (where tickets for all FDR sites are purchased), presents a short film on FDR and Eleanor. Advance reservations during the popular fall foliage season are a good idea and reservations are accepted up to 5 months in advance.