The Changing Oval Office
The globe, desk and chair from Thoedore Roosevelt’s 1902 office remained as part of the office inventory for many years. Library of Congress.
Presidents have traditionally decorated the West Wing to suit their individual needs and reflect their personal tastes. Because of this, the West Wing tends to echo the personality and governing style of the incumbent chief executive. This is seen most dramatically in the president’s formal office at the heart of the West Wing—known today as the Oval Office. The architectural design of this space has mirrored the three major phases of reconstruction, which occurred in 1902, 1909, and 1934.
In 1909 the new Oval Office was decorated with green burlap walls, ivory-painted woodwork, two built in bookcases, and a white marble mantelpiece. Warren G. Harding ordered the walls refinished and painted cream-white in a 1923 office refurbishment.
The 1934 renovation gave the Oval Office the size, shape, and location that it retains to this day. President Roosevelt chose drapes with a patriotic star and eagle motif. Abbie Rowe, NARA.
The physical environment of the West Wing interior today differs from that constructed in 1934. Once there was a large and airy lobby and vestibule that held the press, visitors, and White House staffers waiting for appointments. Generally, the offices were also more spacious. The lobby and vestibule and larger office spaces have been cut up over the years to create a honeycomb of work areas optimized to accommodate the ever growing staff. However, the West Wing comprises more than the formal rooms of the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, and the Roosevelt Room, and a warren of staff spaces. Adjacent to the structure is the Rose Garden, first planted in 1913 and redesigned in 1961, that has been the setting of so many historic events and moments of ceremony.
Since 1934, the changes to the Oval Office have been superficial. The president decides the overall color scheme of upholstery, drapes, and carpet and then chooses artwork and objects for his office. Left: George Bush’s office, 1994. Right: The Oval Office is seen empty as floor repairs are made and the room is refurbished in August 2001.
Each president selects the desk that he wishes to use from the White House collection. President George Bush’s desk is moved out in 1993 to make way for the Resolute Desk, the historic desk used by Bill Clinton.
Before Gerald Ford starts work in the Oval Office in 1974, his staff unpacks his personal effects. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
