Kennedy” (1968)/National Portrait Gallery And so to catalog and take a look around the virtual attic of the Oval Office through the years tells you a lot about what presidents value - not only the stories they are interested in, but the stories they are writing themselves.”Ĭharles Alston, “Martin Luther King, Jr.” (1970)/National Portrait GalleryĪnonymous artist after Jean-Baptiste Greuze, “Benjamin Franklin” (19th century)/National Gallery of ArtĪnonymous artist after Victor Lamkay, “Eleanor Roosevelt” (c. “Presidents have a unique place, not only as an object of the historical imagination, but as an architect of it. “The Oval Office decoration often reflects a president’s view of history and the nature of his hopes for the future,” said Jon Meacham, the presidential biographer whom Biden asked to advise on art for the Oval Office. Indeed, the paintings and the sculptures that are displayed in the Oval Office represent the choices of each American president - subtle and not so subtle signals every administration sends about its values and view of history.Īnd so although the Oval Office is perhaps not often thought of as an ultra-high-profile rotating exhibition space, in one narrow sense, that is exactly what it is. President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.What if the paintings and sculptures could talk? What if they already do?.At various times in history, the White House has been known as the “President’s Palace,” the “President’s House,” and the “Executive Mansion.”.The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface.The White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d’oeuvres to more than 1,000.There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators. There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence.The White House remains a place where history continues to unfold. From the Ground Floor Corridor rooms, transformed from their early use as service areas, to the State Floor rooms, where countless leaders and dignitaries have been entertained, the White House is both the home of the President of the United States and his or her family, and a living museum of American history. The reconstruction was overseen by architect Lorenzo Winslow, and in 1952, the Truman family moved back into the White House.Įvery president since John Adams has occupied the White House, and the history of this building extends far beyond the construction of its walls. Truman began a renovation of the building in which everything but the outer walls was dismantled. Less than fifty years after the Roosevelt renovation, the White House was already showing signs of serious structural weakness. Roosevelt’s successor, President William Howard Taft, had the Oval Office constructed within an enlarged office wing.
The Roosevelt renovation was planned and carried out by the famous New York architectural firm McKim, Mead and White. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt began a major renovation of the White House, including the relocation of the President’s offices from the Second Floor of the Residence to the newly constructed temporary Executive Office Building (now known as the West Wing).
Various proposals were put forward during the late 19th century to significantly expand the President’s House or to build an entirely new residence, but these plans were never realized. In 1829, Andrew Jackson oversaw the addition of the North Portico. James Monroe moved into the building in 1817, and during his administration, the South Portico was constructed. During the War of 1812, the British set fire to the President’s House, and James Hoban was appointed to rebuild it. After eight years of construction, President John Adams and his wife Abigail moved into the still-unfinished residence. The following year, the cornerstone was laid and a design submitted by Irish-born architect James Hoban was chosen. Our first president, George Washington, selected the site for the White House in 1791.
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