The Oval Office is renowned for being the central place of power for the President of the United States, a space at once familiar and intimidating. Familiar due to its ubiquity in movies, photos, and speeches. Intimidating as the physical representation of the most powerful country on earth.

But the Oval Office also begs questions.  Why is it oval?  Who designed it? How big is it?  What famous furniture and artwork does it have?

Origins

Our first president, George Washington, had firm control over the design of the White House, selecting Irish architect James Hoban and working closely with him on the style and type of rooms he wanted.

Hoban learned that Washington had made architectural changes to his residences in New York and Philadelphia, creating large bow windows where he could stand for his levees to receive guests.  Washington requested oval shaped rooms in the new White House as well. Hoban created the first floor Blue Room and second floor Yellow Room in the same oval shape to accommodate Washington’s requests.

The Presidential Office

That was fine for entertaining, but the president had to work, too. From its first occupant, John Adams (1797-1801) all the way to Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), the presidents worked on the second floor in rooms near their own personal family spaces.  It wasn’t until Roosevelt’s wife Edith strongly urged her husband to create office space elsewhere that steps toward the modern Oval Office occurred.   Roosevelt knocked down ancient glass conservatories and built the West Wing in 1902.   He used a rectangular office in the center of the new building.

Roosevelt’s successor, William H. Taft (1909-1913), built the first Oval Office in 1909. Architect Nathan C. Wyeth recommended its shape and moved it to the south façade, positioning it more centrally in the workflow.  Twenty years later the Oval Office suffered major damage in a fire on Christmas Eve when Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) was president.

 

The Modern Oval Office

1934 marked the renovation that brought us the Oval Office we recognize today. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) decided to make significant changes to the office, in part due to his use of a wheelchair. He excavated a full basement for offices under the adjacent lawn and built a new cabinet room and Oval Office. He added inset bookcases, doors topped with pediments, a ceiling medallion of the presidential seal, and indirect lighting.

All presidents are allowed to select new draperies, furniture, rug and artwork.  Some have also replaced the flooring itself. There have been four different floors in the Oval Office. The first was cork over softwood, followed by wood – grained linoleum selected by Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969). Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) installed an oak and walnut floor in cross parquet pattern, which George W. Bush replicated exactly in 2005.

The Resolute Desk

The Resolute Desk was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford Hayes (1877-1881). The desk was constructed from oak timbers of the British ship HMS Resolute and weighs 1,300 pounds.  It was delivered to the White House in 1880.

HMS Resolute explored the Arctic in 1855. It’s crew abandoned the ship when it froze in ice.  The Resolute drifted over 1,000 miles and was recovered by an American whaler. The US Congress authorized funds to repair the ship and return it to England. Once it was decommissioned in 1879, Queen Victoria had three desks made from the timbers, one of which was sent to President Hayes in gratitude for saving the ship.

Most presidents since Hayes have used the Resolute Desk. A few used a desk of their own that they preferred. John F. Kennedy’s young children famously used the privacy door of the Resolute Desk for play, having their photo taken while their dad worked. JFK also added a two-inch plinth to raise the height of the desk to make it more comfortable.

Artwork

Presidents are fond of having portraits of George Washington (1789-1797), the Founding Father, in the Oval Office. Jimmy Carter acquired a Charles Willson Peale portrait of Washington in 1977 and had it placed over the mantle.  Also frequently displayed have been portraits of presidents Jefferson, Jackson, and Lincoln, as well as founders Hamilton and Franklin.

Presidents also like to have busts of famous presidents and American leaders displayed in the Oval Office.  Eight presidents have displayed Frederic Remington’s The Bronco Buster.

You may have noticed from photos the ivy on the mantle of the Oval Office. This tradition began with John F. Kennedy who received the ivy plant as a gift from the Irish Ambassador.  All subsequent presidents have used descendants of that original plant to demonstrate continuity.

At 816 square feet, the Oval Office exudes power and functions as an ongoing site for all things presidential.  Most of the recently built presidential museums and libraries have a full-sized replica of the Oval Office that you can visit and even have your picture taken seated at a replica of the Resolute Desk.

Interested in learning more about the presidents? Visit the Carolyn & James Millar Presidential Gallery on the upper level of the Booth Western Art Museum. The gallery features original letters and photographs of every U.S. president. Learn more at www.boothmuseum.org.