White House Conservatory

This photograph of the White House Conservatory was taken by Lewis E. Walker between 1857 to 1858. The shot was taken from the South Lawns of the White House Grounds, with the Conservatory situated on what is today the location of the West Colonnade and West Wing. The Conservatory was originally an orangery located on the east side of the Executive Mansion before being moved to the West Terrace during James Buchanan's administration. The room had high, glass ceilings and walls and was reconstructed to include a small, 12 foot passage into the White House. In the late 1860s, President Ulysses S. Grant re-purposed the passageway between the Executive Mansion and the Conservatories into a Billiard Room.