AP Photos The newly renovated Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, D.C., opens formally to the public on Presidents Day.

WASHINGTON — Until now, a summer cottage three miles from the White House where Abraham Lincoln paced the floors, contemplating the end of slavery, was largely unknown to the public.


Few locals knew it was still standing on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, and tourists searching for Lincoln sites in the nation’s capital were far more likely to stop by the Lincoln Memorial or Ford’s Theatre, where the 16th president was assassinated.


But in the late 1990s, the house was “rediscovered” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and, in 2000, declared a national monument by President Clinton. Now, after a seven-year, $15 million restoration, President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldiers’ Home is set to open to the public for the first time — on Presidents Day, Feb. 18.


“This is one of those places that is kind of hidden in plain sight, and yet it’s one of the most significant historic sites,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.


Like other Lincoln enthusiasts, Moe had heard of the president’s summer wartime retreat — the Camp David of its day, mentioned in a few history books — but thought it was long gone. Then a friend showed him the home in 1998.