Simone Lawson
The Oval Office is located in the West Wing of the White House, which also contains the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, and the Roosevelt Room. The West Wing's three floors include offices for the vice president, the White House chief of staff, the counsellor to the president, and other senior staff. The Oval Office has been the main office of the president of the United States since 1909, when President William Howard Taft had the West Wing expanded. The room's distinctive oval shape was inspired by the Blue Room, which may have been influenced by a formal social greeting tradition known as a levee.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | West Wing of the White House |
| Floor | Ground floor |
| Year of Construction | 1909 |
| Architect | Nathan C. Wyeth |
| Shape | Oval |
| Inspiration | Blue Room, Formal reception tradition, George Washington's house |
| President's Workspace | Two-room suite of Executive Office and Cabinet Room |
| President's Desk | Resolute Desk |
| President's Library | Yellow Oval Room |
| Current Use | Office of the President of the United States |
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What You'll Learn
The Oval Office was created in 1909
The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., has been the main office of the President of the United States since 1909. It was created by President William Howard Taft, who wanted to be more involved in the day-to-day operations of his presidency and intended the office to be the hub of his administration.
The West Wing itself was first constructed in 1902 as a temporary building for the offices of the executive branch. However, in 1909, President Taft held a competition to select an architect to enlarge and make permanent the West Wing's "temporary" Executive office. The winning architect was Nathan C. Wyeth of Washington, D.C., who designed the expansion and a new office for the President. Wyeth's design for the Oval Office was inspired by the White House's most famous oval-shaped room, the Blue Room.
The distinctive oval shape of the Blue Room may be traced back to President George Washington, who added a semi-circular rear addition to the President's House in Philadelphia in 1790. This space was used for a formal social greeting known as a "levee," where men of prominence could meet the president. Washington's desire for an oval-shaped room may also have influenced architect James Hoban's winning design for the White House in 1792.
The modern Oval Office, built in the southeast corner of the West Wing, was further expanded and renovated in 1933 by architect Eric Gugler during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. These renovations added a full basement and subterranean offices to create more staff space, as well as a new Cabinet Room and Oval Office. The new Oval Office was designed to offer more privacy and easier access to the Residence for President Roosevelt, who used a wheelchair.
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It is located in the West Wing
The Oval Office is located in the West Wing of the White House. The West Wing was initially constructed as a temporary structure in 1902 by President Theodore Roosevelt, who sought additional office space to accommodate his large family and staff. The one-story Executive Office Building was situated west of the White House, allowing for the removal of old greenhouses.
In 1909, President William Howard Taft made the West Wing a permanent structure and doubled its size by extending it southward. Taft also established the first Oval Office, modelled after the White House's famous oval-shaped Blue Room. The Oval Office was designed by Nathan C. Wyeth and placed at the centre of the addition's south facade, providing ample natural light and featuring a white marble mantel and Georgian Revival woodwork.
The West Wing houses important rooms beyond the Oval Office, including the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, and the Roosevelt Room. The three floors of the West Wing also accommodate offices for high-ranking officials such as the vice president, the White House chief of staff, and the counsellor to the president. As the size of presidential staff grew over the 20th century, the West Wing could no longer accommodate everyone, leading to the use of the adjacent Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
The Oval Office has become iconic, associated with the presidency itself, and has been the backdrop for many memorable moments in American history.
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Presidents decorate the office to their taste
The Oval Office is located in the West Wing of the White House and has been the main office of the president since 1909. The room's distinctive oval shape was inspired by the Blue Room, which may have been influenced by George Washington's desire for a suitable space to host formal receptions known as "levées".
Presidents' Decorations and Taste
Each president tends to redecorate the Oval Office to reflect their personal taste, values, and ambitions for their time in office. They often include items of historical, political, and personal significance, ranging from paintings to specific colour schemes. The Oval Office has become associated with the presidency itself through memorable images, such as John F. Kennedy Jr. peering through his father's desk or Richard Nixon speaking with the Apollo 11 astronauts during their moonwalk.
The rug and drapes are the most common elements to change, as they provide the iconic framing of the Resolute Desk. Since the Kennedy administration, most presidents have brought their own custom rug and drape combinations. For example, the Kennedys chose a bright red rug with white curtains, a departure from the previous blue-green colour scheme. President Biden has opted for a dark blue rug with the Presidential Seal, the same rug used during the Clinton Administration.
Presidents also select artwork and statues to display in the Oval Office, often borrowing pieces from the White House collection or museums. Portraits of past presidents and historical figures have lined the walls since its conception, offering a glimpse into the heroes and inspirations of the current president. Additionally, statuettes, busts, and figurines are common, with Abraham Lincoln being the most portrayed subject.
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The room's shape was inspired by the Blue Room
The Oval Office is located in the West Wing of the White House, which was made permanent by President William Howard Taft in 1909. The room was designed by Nathan C. Wyeth, who won a competition held by President Taft to select an architect to enlarge and make permanent the West Wing's "temporary" Executive office. The distinctive oval shape of the Oval Office was inspired by the Blue Room, another room in the White House.
The Blue Room is one of three state parlors on the first floor of the White House, and it is used for receptions and receiving lines. It is approximately 30 by 40 feet (9 by 12 meters) and has six doors that open into the Cross Hall, Green Room, Red Room, and South Portico. The room has three windows that look out upon the Portico and South Lawn. The Blue Room is furnished in the French Empire style, with walls hung with chamois-colored wallpaper imprinted with medallions of burnished gold.
The oval shape of the Blue Room may have been inspired by the bowed walls of the State Dining Room for President George Washington. Washington preferred an oval-shaped room to create a suitable space for a formal reception known as a "levee," a tradition that evolved from the English court. This tradition allowed men of prominence to meet the president in a formal and ceremonial setting.
The Blue Room has undergone several redecorations and renovations over the years. President James Monroe redecorated the room in the French Empire style in 1817, and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy led a major refurbishment of the room in the 1960s, including the placement of French furniture originally ordered by President Monroe in 1818. The most recent renovation was completed in 1995 by the Committee for the Preservation of the White House and the White House Office of the Curator, funded by the White House Endowment Trust.
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Presidents have addressed the nation from the Oval Office
The Oval Office is the formal working space of the president of the United States. It is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The room has three large windows facing the South Lawn, in front of which the president's desk traditionally stands. The first president to occupy the White House was John Adams in 1800, and the Oval Office was created out of the expansion of the West Wing in 1909. The room's distinctive shape was inspired by the Blue Room and may have been influenced by President Washington's desire for a suitable space for a formal reception known as a "levee."
Over the years, several presidents have addressed the nation from the Oval Office. These addresses are considered among the most solemn settings for a presidential address and are often used to announce major new policy initiatives, mark a leader's departure from office, or address times of national emergency. One of the earliest examples of an Oval Office address was delivered by President Herbert Hoover, who spoke about peace efforts and arms reduction. Another early example was President Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1957 address, in which he informed the nation of his decision to send troops to Little Rock to enforce school desegregation. This was only the second-ever televised address directly from the president's office.
More recently, President Kennedy addressed the nation from the Oval Office during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and President Nixon announced his resignation from office in 1974. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan spoke following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In 2001, President George W. Bush addressed the nation on the evening of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and in 2010, President Barack Obama spoke about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The tradition of the prime-time Oval Office address has continued into the 21st century, with President Trump and President Biden both delivering addresses during their administrations. While the Oval Office remains a powerful symbol of the presidency, some have suggested that the traditional Oval Office address may be falling out of favour in the Information Age, as other methods of communication become more prevalent.
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Frequently asked questions
The Oval Office is located in the West Wing of the White House.
The Oval Office was designed by Nathan C. Wyeth of Washington, D.C.
The Oval Office was completed in 1909.
The Oval Office has been the main office for the president since President William Howard Taft began working in it in October 1909.
