By Steve Schappert, Founder, Home & Art Magazine
If President John F. Kennedy were still alive in 2026, here are the questions I would love to ask him about homeownership and the American Dream.
I’m not a historian or a political expert — I’m just a regular guy from Brookfield, Connecticut, who started a small magazine because I believe the spaces we build shape who we become as human beings. With the help of AI, I’ve studied his speeches, writings, and values deeply. What follows is my best attempt to imagine how he might respond today, staying true to his voice, optimism, and lifelong belief in opportunity for all.
Steve Schappert: Mr. President, many young families and working people I talk to feel the American Dream of owning a home is slipping away. Prices are very high, mortgage rates are still elevated, and monthly payments take a huge portion of income. What would you say to them?
President John F. Kennedy: Steve, the right to a good home is one of the noblest motives in the American way of life — it is inherent in the heart and soul of every American. In my time we faced a severe housing shortage after the war, but we refused to accept that the dream was lost. Today the challenge is different, but the principle remains the same. Do not lose heart. This is not the end of the dream — it is a call for a new generation to renew it with courage and imagination.
Steve Schappert: We have a serious shortage of homes — experts say we’re more than a million units short — and many towns resist new construction through strict zoning. How do we solve a problem this large?
President John F. Kennedy: We solve it the same way we solved great challenges before — by deciding that the future belongs to those who build it. Remove the unnecessary barriers that prevent us from building. Encourage communities to open their doors to new families. Reward cities and towns that say “yes” to more housing. A nation that cannot house its own people decently cannot long remain the leader of the free world.
Steve Schappert: Climate change is making homeownership riskier — higher insurance costs, wildfires, floods, and stronger storms. How should we build homes that can survive these new realities?
President John F. Kennedy: We must build homes that do more than shelter us — they must protect us and heal the planet at the same time. This is the new frontier of our age. Net-zero homes, resilient designs, solar power, homes that rise above flood zones — these are not luxuries. They are necessities. Let us lead the world in building homes that work with nature instead of against it.
Steve Schappert: So many people now work from home, learn from home, and even heal from home. The house has to serve many more purposes than it did in your time. Has the very meaning of “home” changed?
President John F. Kennedy: The home has always been the most important place on earth — where families grow, spirits are restored, and dreams are born. In your time it has become even more: office, school, sanctuary, and studio all at once. Design homes with generous light, flexible spaces, and quiet corners for reflection. Build them so that families can truly live, work, learn, and heal under one roof.
Steve Schappert: Cultural fusion is happening in homes across Connecticut and America — families bringing traditions, colors, and stories from every part of the world. How do you see this shaping the homes of the future?
President John F. Kennedy: This is one of the most hopeful developments of our time. A home that welcomes many cultures becomes richer and stronger. Build spaces that honor every story — let African textiles sit beside Japanese screens, let a Mexican courtyard warm a New England farmhouse. These homes are living proof that America is still becoming something greater.
Steve Schappert: The wealth gap and racial disparities in homeownership remain deep and painful. What must we do to make the dream truly open to every American?
President John F. Kennedy: The home is the foundation of family and community. When any group is locked out of that foundation, the whole house of democracy grows weaker. We must continue the work of fair lending, open housing, and real opportunity for all. Every new policy and every new neighborhood must answer one question: Does this expand the dream for every American, or only for some? The answer must always be the first.
Steve Schappert: Finally, sir — what message would you give to those of us trying to design, build, and write about better homes in 2026?
President John F. Kennedy: Ask not what your country can build for you — ask what you can build for your country and for every family that dreams of a home. Build them beautiful, because beauty lifts the human spirit. Build them affordable and inclusive, because a divided house cannot stand. Build them to last, and build them with hope. The American Dream does not die. It waits for each generation to renew it.
