Temporary Curator's Office in the Map Room

This photograph of the Map Room was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on May 10,1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The room is seen here with pieces from the White House Collection acquired during First Lady Jacqueline Kennedys White House restoration project. The room served as the temporary location of the curators office, where new acquisitions were examined and cataloged before being displayed in rooms restored during the project. The Map Room is located on the Ground Floor of the Executive Mansion and got its name during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration when President Roosevelt used the room to monitor and intake classified information during World War II. The room was the original Situation Room. Today the room acts as a sitting room but still displays maps in homage to its origins.