Library (White House)

The White House Library is located on the Ground Floor of the White House, the official home of the President of the United States. The room is approximately 27 by 23 feet (8.2 by 7.0 m) and is located in the northeast of the ground floor. The Library is used for teas and meetings by the President and First Lady. During the 1950s reconstruction of the White House, old building timber was salvaged and re-made into wall paneling. Several basement rooms in the White House are paneled with salvaged building materials from the pre-reconstructed White House.

White House ground floor showing location of the White House Library

History

John Adams, the first President to live in the White House, used this room as a laundry room; at that time it was said to have been filled with "Tubs, Buckets, and a variety of Lumber." During the 1850-1853 presidency of Millard Fillmore, Congressional funding was requested to establish this library. Though the library was established during the Fillmore presidency, the driving force behind the room was actually the First Lady, Abigail Powers Fillmore. The room saw only slight modifications until the Truman reconstruction in 1952, when the room was paneled in salvaged timbers from the White House's former timber frame. These were left unpainted until the administration of John F. Kennedy, when decorator Stéphane Boudin recreated the room as a painted Federal style parlor.

To stand out an unusual lighthouse clock made by Simon Willard to commemorate the visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States in 1824-25. A likeness of Lafayette appears in a medallion on its base.

The White House Library looking west, northwest during the Clinton administration

The Library provides access to a men's lounge and restroom.

External links

• Records of the White House Library, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
• White House Museum page

Source: Wikipedia