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The State Dining Room, which now seats as many as 140 guests, was originally much smaller and served at various times as a drawing room, office, and Cabinet Room. Not until the Andrew Jackson administration was it called the "State Dining Room," although previous Presidents had used it for formal dinners.
The white marble walls of the Ground Floor corridor complement the vaulted ceiling arching gracefully overhead. Architect James Hoban installed the groin vaulting around 1793. Its sturdy construction withstood the fire of 1814. The vaulted ceiling seen today is a copy of the original vaulting and was built during the Truman Renovation between 1948 and 1952. One of the house's finest architectural elements, this
The Blue Room with the Yellow Oval Room above and the Diplomatic Reception Room below it, form the most elegant space of James Hoban's plans for the White House. For the south wall of the Blue Room, he designed French doors flanked by long windows. Since the time of President Thomas Jefferson, this oval room has been used for receptions.
James Hoban, the original architect of the President's House, intended that the space now called the "Green Room" be used as a "Common Dining Room." An 1801 inventory revealed that first residents President and Mrs. John Adams actually used it as a guest bedchamber. However, the next chief executive, Thomas Jefferson, did serve meals in this room. Jefferson may have foreshadowed
The Cross Hall and large Entrance Hall are at the center of the original plan by James Hoban for the state floor of the White House. The basic floor plan has not been altered substantially, although modifications have been made to the design and placement of the principle staircases. The plan is arranged so that the Cross Hall connects all
Ascending from the Ground Floor Corridor, a marble stairway leads the White House visitor to the state floor level. Off the landing to the right is the East Room. The largest of the state rooms, it was designed by James Hoban and George Washington to be a "Public Audience Room."
This video showcases the afternoon session of the White House Gardens Symposium on May 2, 2019. The White House Gardens Symposium was a day-long event, hosted by the White House Historical Association and Rachel Mellon’s Oak Spring Garden Foundation, featuring the history and development of the White House gardens, specifically the West and East Gardens. This informative gathering brought together experts in
This video showcases the luncheon speaker of the White House Gardens Symposium on May 2, 2019. The White House Gardens Symposium was a day-long event, hosted by the White House Historical Association and Rachel Mellon’s Oak Spring Garden Foundation, featuring the history and development of the White House gardens, specifically the West and East Gardens. This informative gathering brought together experts in
This video showcases the morning session of the White House Gardens Symposium on May 2, 2019. The White House Gardens Symposium was a day-long event, hosted by the White House Historical Association and Rachel Mellon’s Oak Spring Garden Foundation, featuring the history and development of the White House gardens, specifically the West and East Gardens. This informative gathering brought together experts in