Collection Dining in the Executive Mansion
A dinner at the White House has always had significance beyond the merely gastronomical. The elegance of the State Dining...
President Truman's Renovation
During the administration of President Harry S. Truman, the White House underwent a renovation and expansion so extensive, it changed the executive mansion more than the fire of 1814. The White House we know today is largely due to the renovation led by Truman. The construction took place between 1948 and 1952 and was a remarkable feat of engineering. National Park Service photographer Abbie Rowe captured the entire process on film and the below galleries document the transformation.
-
-
Collection Tudor Place
-
Collection The President's Neighborhood
Since the White House was first occupied by President John Adams in 1800, influential people and organizations—or those who hoped to...
-
Collection An Artist Visits the White House Past
From its construction in 1792, until the 1902 renovation that shaped the modern identity and functions of the interior of the White...
-
The Diplomatic Reception Room's Historic Wallpaper
After the destruction of the White House by the British in 1814, the Executive Mansion was reconstructed with a servants’ hall di...
-
Lincoln in the State Dining Room
For over 75 years, George Peter Alexander Healy’s portrait of Abraham Lincoln has remained an important aesthetic element for the Wh...
-
The Red Room in the Polk White House
Today’s State Floor of the White House has rooms designated by color (Green, Blue, and Red), purpose (State Dining Ro...
-
Capturing History
The first known image of the White House was a daguerreotype taken in 1846, during the administration of President James K....
-
Unbuilt White Houses of the 19th Century
Throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century, several major proposals were made to alleviate crowding at the White House...
-
The Chandeliers of the East Room
After ascending the staircase from the Ground Floor to the State Floor, the first room that visitors on a tour...
-
Texas and the White House
While there have only been a handful of Texans who have called the White House “home,” this group has shaped the...
-
The White House Collection: The Beaux Arts Furnishing of 1902
One of the principal goals that governed the architectural changes made to the White House in 1902 by McKim, Mead & Whi...
