Restoring the Original White House Stone
The restoration of the exterior of the White House, which I performed from 1989 to 1996, was an exciting and challenging task....
Foreword; White House History Number 29
How Long? 2 minutes
Special spaces at the White House are usually those created by the presidents for their own use while resident there. For example, President Richard Nixon's favorite place to work alone was the Lincoln Sitting Room; First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt prepared her cozy dressing room on the opposite or west end of the home, while FDR filled the big upstairs oval room with his hobbies and books and cherished many quiet hours in its confines.
There are special spaces for retreats, for improvement of living, and for looks. This issue touches upon some that exist and some that do not. In the latter case are Clifford and Michele Krainiks never-before-published photographs of the long-vanished White House stables, and Keith MacKays return to an earlier Green Room. Mary Jo Binker takes us to that most special space, the Solarium, builds it, and traces its use by the many who loved it.
Rooms built in the attic of the North Portico during the Coolidge administration were intended for storage.
The architectural historian Travis McDonald grants that his special spaces the east and west wings are largely rebuilt but has climbed through cellar rooms ahead of the bulldozer to re-create the spaces as they descended from Jeffersons original construction. In the same vein, the architectural historian James A. Jacobs finds cause for celebration of the original White House architects skill in a tiny corner that President Harry S. Truman's reconstruction missed.
For my part, I have sketched a response to our most frequently asked question about special places in the White House: Are there secret tunnels?
You Might Also Like
-
-
Keeping Cool in the White House
During the 19th century Washington’s infamous summer heat and humidity presented challenges to presidents and their families. In that pr...
-
President Roosevelt's White House Improvements
Reconstruction of the West Wing in 1930 after extensive damage by a Christmas Eve fire in 1929 included a central air-conditioning system...
-
Securing the White House
When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, White House security became a much more serious concern than...
-
White House Decorative Arts in the 1950s
In the fall of 1950, more than a year before the Truman family returned, the Commission on the Renovation of the...
-
President Garfield's White House Upgrades
On February 12, 1880, a wooden crate arrived at the White House containing a new contrivance which would make an immediate impact...
-
Jefferson's White House Upgrades
Thomas Jefferson gave orders for the demolition of the outdoor wooden privy and had two water closets installed upstairs, one...
-
Plumbing in the White House is Not for the Servants
References to the installation of plumbing fixtures began to appear in architectural plan books in the 1840s. Plumbing systems were...
-
White House Improvements in the 1850s
The 1850s saw many improvements and expansions to the mansion's existing conveniences. By this time many Americans who had gaslight...
-
Ford's Theatre and the White House
The histories of the White House and of Ford’s Theatre are obviously linked by their association with Abraham Lincoln. Th...
-
Building a White House Kitchen
By the time Theodore Roosevelt took office, the use of electric light was common in American houses. The entire wiring...
-
Installing White House Conveniences
The second floor quarters occupied by President Abraham Lincoln and his family were used much as they had been during...