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135-617: The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and burial site of Richard Milhous Nixon , the 37th president of the United States (1969–1974), and his wife Pat Nixon . Located in Yorba Linda, California , on land that President Nixon's family once owned, the library is one of 13 administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The 9-acre (3.6 ha) campus

270-568: A papier-mâché frame, and they are dressed in their actual clothing. The U.S. government limousine used by President Nixon throughout his presidency, a customized 1969 Lincoln Continental , is on display in the domestic affairs gallery. A 12-foot-high (3.7 m) piece of the Berlin Wall is exhibited in the expansive foreign affairs gallery, which also includes a replica of a modest Midwest home from where American soldiers originated, statues of Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and pages of

405-435: A NARA facility. Until 1978, presidents, scholars, and legal professionals held the view dating back to George Washington that the records created by the president or his staff while in office remained the personal property of the president and were his to take with him when he left office. The first presidential libraries were built on this concept. NARA successfully persuaded presidents to donate their historical materials to

540-526: A carpet were added by Jane Pierce , wife of President Franklin Pierce , in 1853. The Pierces also had the over-mantel mirrors and pier mirrors reframed by L. R. Menger of New York . Despite this redecoration, the East Room was nonetheless somewhat shabby by 1861. On April 18, 1861, about 60 militiamen from Kansas took up temporary residence in the East Room pending construction of barracks for them in

675-473: A committee would review the objection but gave no timeline for when that process would be concluded. The exhibit opened on March 31, 2011. In November 2011, the director of the library, Tim Naftali, resigned his position. Michael Ellzey was appointed as Director by the Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero , on December 12, 2014. Ellzey officially began serving as Director on January 12, 2015. Ellzey

810-600: A facility in Hoffman Estates, Illinois , and except for classified materials are available through FOIA since 2023. East Room The White House was designed by architect James Hoban . Leinster House in Ireland was the main inspiration for the White House, and includes a large east room which may have inspired Hoban's East Room. But the newly added Large Dining Room at Mount Vernon may also have been

945-460: A floral pattern completed the redecoration. Much of the furniture in the room was sold at public auction (a common and unremarkable practice until the 20th century). The architects called the style "Pure Greek", and architectural historian Patrick Phillips-Schrock called it "sumptuous", but it was widely derided as "Steamboat Gothic". Nellie Grant 's lavish wedding took place in the East Room on May 21, 1874. President Chester A. Arthur hired

1080-474: A gift of the government of France to mark the laying of the Franco-American transatlantic telegraph cable that year. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt engaged the architectural firm of McKim, Meade & White to renovate and expand the White House. Their intention was three-fold: To modernize the White House, to establish a decorating motif that would never have to be altered, and to recreate

1215-504: A million museum objects. These varied holdings make each library a valuable source of information and a center for research on the Presidency. The most important textual materials in each library are those created by the president and his staff in the course of performing the official duties. Libraries also house numerous objects including family heirlooms, items collected by the president and his family, campaign memorabilia, awards, and

1350-501: A portion of the East Room, however, for Cabinet meetings. The East Room, along with the rest of the White House, was burned in 1814 during the Burning of Washington in the War of 1812 . The interior was gutted, although most of the exterior sandstone walls remained standing. The north facade of the White House was the most damaged. But because the East Room had so little furniture in it,

1485-404: A single historic era. The 1902 console tables were removed from the piers between the windows, and the 1902 Louis XVI style floor lamps moved out of the corners and in front of the piers. The 1952 Adam-style camelback sofas were removed at the instigation of du Pont, and replaced with gilt benches. Research conducted by White House Curator Lorraine Waxman Pearce and Jacqueline Kennedy identified

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1620-402: A source for the design of the East Room. As his drawings of the second and third floor do not exist, it is unclear what use Hoban intended for the room. It is possible that Hoban intended it for use as a private gallery for the family. It was the largest room in the White House, however, about 80 by 37 feet (24 by 11 m) in size with a 22-foot-high (6.7 m) ceiling. The middle window in

1755-679: A tendency toward light-filled spaces and away from patterns and "busy" or cluttered spaces. As the East Room had not been decorated until 1829, the architects took some liberties, devising a room based on the 1780 Louis XVI style salon de famille in the Château de Compiègne . For the walls, the designers chose pilasters carved by Herter Brothers of New York City , which appeared to support Neoclassical entablatures . There were 12 faux entablatures, each made of marble and depicting scenes from Aesop's Fables . They were designed by Leon Marcotte of L. Marcotte & Co. of New York, and carved by

1890-467: Is an extensive collection of memorabilia, artifacts, formal clothing, and photographs of the Nixons and their children. This collection includes an assortment of bronze figures of world leaders who had important relations with Nixon as president or during his service as vice president under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961. The leaders have been accurately recreated in lightweight bronze over

2025-585: Is being produced at Cumberland University . A similar project is underway on behalf of James Madison by the Universities of Virginia and Chicago. For many presidents, especially before the development of the NARA system, substantial collections may be found in multiple private and public collections. Until the Obama Administration's library is ready for service, its papers are being held in

2160-672: Is buried at his museum in Grand Rapids , while the library is in Ann Arbor . This is a list of the presidential libraries. Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson left their papers to Princeton University where they may be found at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library . The Theodore Roosevelt Association collected Theodore Roosevelt's papers and donated them to Harvard University in 1943, where they reside at its Widener and Houghton libraries. James Buchanan left his papers to

2295-502: Is decorated with scenes depicting American music and dance, each gilded in gold leaf. The tableaux, designed by artist Dunbar Beck, depict people dancing the Virginia reel , chanting by Native Americans , cowboys singing during a cattle drive , a barn dance , and African American slaves singing in the fields. The legs of the piano feature gilded eagles, designed and carved by Albert Stewart . (Steinway & Sons completely refurbished

2430-709: Is located at 18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard in Yorba Linda and incorporates the Richard Nixon Birthplace , a National Historic Landmark where Nixon was born in 1913 and spent his childhood. From its dedication on July 19, 1990, until July 11, 2007, the library and museum was operated by the private Richard Nixon Foundation and was known as the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace . The facility underwent an extensive renovation in 2016 and now features updated, multimedia museum exhibits;

2565-641: Is operated by the National Park Service and the Western Reserve Historical Society . In 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt donated his personal and presidential papers to the federal government. At the same time, Roosevelt pledged part of his estate at Hyde Park, New York , to the United States, and friends of the president formed a non-profit corporation to raise funds for the construction of

2700-694: Is the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum , dedicated on June 30, 1941. The George W. Bush Presidential Center became the thirteenth on May 1, 2013. The National Archives and Records Administration uses a passport to promote visiting the Presidential libraries. When a person visits every library, NARA awards them a crystal paperweight. The presidential library system is made up of thirteen presidential libraries operated fully, or partially, by NARA. Libraries and museums have been established for earlier presidents, but they are not part of

2835-460: Is the most recent library, and operates under a new model. The Barack Obama Presidential Library is fully digitized, preserved, and administered by NARA with archival materials lent to the privately operated Presidential Center for display. For every president since Herbert Hoover , presidential libraries have been established in each president's home state in which documents, artifacts, gifts of state and museum exhibits are maintained that relate to

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2970-502: The Georgian style. The marble for each mantel came from a different state, and each was a different color. Marcotte & Co. also designed, manufactured, and installed gilded ceiling decorations. The central section of the ceiling was decorated with a large plaster panel featuring an intricate medallion flanked by swags, acanthus , escutcheons , and scrollwork. A border of acanthus, scrollwork, and egg-and-dart moldings bordered

3105-697: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where they may still be found. The Papers of Andrew Jackson is a project sponsored by the University of Tennessee at Knoxville to collect Andrew Jackson 's papers on microfilm. A microfilm edition of Martin Van Buren 's papers was produced at Pennsylvania State University in 1987; a digital edition of the Papers of Martin Van Buren

3240-663: The North Dakota Legislative Assembly passed a bill appropriating $ 12 million to Dickinson State University to award a grant to the Theodore Roosevelt Center for construction of a building to be named the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. To access these funds, the Theodore Roosevelt Center must first raise $ 3 million from non-state sources. Dickinson State University is also home to

3375-611: The Piccirilli Brothers of New York City. The rest of the walls were painted cream white, and adorned with gilded sconces (supplied by the lighting firm of Edward F. Caldwell & Co. ) and gold wall hangings. McKim, Meade & White strongly disliked the East Room's four fireplaces, which divided the area into three spaces. The fireplaces and mantels, which projected about 2.5 feet (0.76 m), were considerably reduced in depth to just 0.5 feet (0.15 m). The mantels were replaced with 6-foot (1.8 m) new ones in

3510-534: The Steinway & Sons piano company donated an ornate gilded grand piano to the White House. This piano (serial number 100,000) was placed in the East Room. During Roosevelt's term, the government of France donated Limoges porcelain busts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin to the White House. These were also placed in the East Room. Slight changes were made to

3645-693: The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty I signed by Nixon and Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev in 1972. Lieutenant Colonel Gene Boyer , President Nixon's chief helicopter pilot, secured the President's VH-3A " Sea King " helicopter, tail number 150617, to be on permanent display on the library grounds. The helicopter was in the presidential fleet from 1961 to 1976, transporting Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford, and many foreign heads of state and government. Boyer flew President Nixon dozens of times to Camp David , over

3780-709: The Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library which has formed partnerships with the Library of Congress and Harvard University, among other institutions. They currently have over 25,000 items online. On April 12, 2016, Harding 2020, a collaboration between the Harding Home , Ohio History Connection , and Marion Technical College , detailed plans to spend $ 7.3 million to establish the Warren G. Harding Presidential Center . Plans include restoring

3915-762: The William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. George W. Bush will be buried at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. The future burial sites of 44th president Barack Obama , 45th and 47th president Donald Trump , and 46th president Joe Biden are still unknown. Unlike all other presidents whose libraries are part of the NARA system, Ford's library and museum are geographically separate buildings, located in different parts of Michigan ; Ford

4050-403: The 1902 paint. A simpler crown molding and ceiling medallions were also installed. The Herter pilasters and Piccirilli marble panels were either lost or too damaged to be reused during removal, and their fate remains unclear. To cut costs, the replacement entablature was made of a composite glue and sawdust mixture pressed into forms rather than carved from wood. While the feeling was similar,

4185-406: The East Room as well, and his funeral was held there on April 19. At the time of Lincoln's death in 1865, the East Room contained 24 chairs, four sofas, four tables, eight sets of drapes, eight sets of lace curtains, eight mirrors, and one carpet. All the furniture was in poor shape. During his administration, members of the public attending the weekly receptions in the room had heavily vandalized

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4320-547: The East Room during the Woodrow Wilson administration. Ellen Axson Wilson , the president's first wife, made almost no changes to the room. She died in 1914, just two years into Wilson's first term. Wilson remarried a year later, and the new First Lady, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson , had the 1902 drapes replaced. In the early 1930s, First Lady Lou Henry Hoover purchased a number of gilt upholstered dining room chairs in something approaching an Art Deco style for use in

4455-434: The East Room partitioned (using canvas and sailcloth for walls) and the southern end used for a bedroom and office for Meriwether Lewis and Lewis Harvie (both Private Secretary to the President ). Jefferson's successor, James Madison , sought to make the partitions permanent and asked Latrobe to design bedrooms and office space across the southern part of the room. But these changes were not made, either. Madison did use

4590-458: The East Room was adorned with three chandeliers, three "pier glasses" (mirrors), red damask window drapes, white muslin window curtains, four new sofas, 24 new chairs, three large tables (placed in the center of the room), four pier tables with marble tops, a large carpet, four new hearthrugs, four fire fenders, four large candelabra, eight small candelabra, eight mantle ornaments, and a bust of George Washington . New draperies, lace curtains, and

4725-558: The East Room was replaced with oak parquet, and trimmed in red Numidian marble from North Africa. (A box made from the old parquet floor was donated to the White House during the Jimmy Carter administration.) In addition to the wall hangings, McKim, Meade & White commissioned a wide range of other furnishings more in line with their Louis XVI style salon de famille style. Marcotte and Co. supplied heavy velvet gold drapes, and topped each window with carved and gilded cornices of

4860-419: The East Room was reupholstered as well in a gold brocatelle (a brocade with the design in high relief). A new Axminster carpet, 515 square yards (431 m ) in size, was also laid down. When Caroline Harrison died on October 25, 1892 (two weeks before the presidential election), her funeral was held in the East Room. Two Sèvres vases (on marble pedestals) were added to the East Room in 1897. They were

4995-416: The East Room. The biggest change to the room was in the window treatments. Jacqueline Kennedy specifically asked for new curtains for the East Room consisting of opaque silk undercurtains and yellow drapes. Boudin oversaw the design of new draperies, with silk provided by Maison Jansen. A draft design of the drapes and valances was not ready until mid-1963. Boudin, apparently wishing to draw attention to

5130-490: The East Room. President Franklin D. Roosevelt did little to either renovate or maintain the White House during his unusually long tenure. Roosevelt believed that the White House should "do its part" during the Great Depression and World War II , and economize by minimizing expenditures. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had little interest in redecorating, and little in the way of social engagements occurred during

5265-404: The East Room. Desiring an even grander approach to the public rooms, Arthur hired Tiffany & Co. in 1882 to redecorate the East Room yet again. Most of this work involved painting and regilding, however. No new furniture was ordered, and the over-mantel and pier mirrors reframed or regilded. President Grover Cleveland made no changes to the East Room, although a divan upholstered in gold

5400-520: The George and Martha Washington paintings. Jacqueline Kennedy made extensive renovations to the White House in 1961 and 1962. Her renovation was overseen by American antiques autodidact Henry Francis du Pont and French interior designer Stéphane Boudin and his company, Maison Jansen . Although many rooms were extensively altered by du Pont and Boudin, the Kennedy restoration made few changes to

5535-480: The Grants wanted to renovate the East Room into a far more modern space reflective of their Midwest tastes. The architects added new load-bearing beams across the ceiling, which made the room appear to be much lower in height. Corinthian columns were added to support these beams. To integrate the beams into the room, they extended the 1815 frieze decoratively across the beams. The ceiling, divided into three sections by

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5670-669: The Harding Home, Warren G. Harding 's historic home in Marion, Ohio , and its grounds to its 1920 appearance. A 15,000-square-foot presidential center and museum will also be built adjacent to the house. Harding's presidential papers will then be moved from its current location at the Ohio History Connection's headquarters in Columbus, Ohio , to the new center. The culmination of the work, scheduled to be completed by

5805-599: The Jackson administration, were cleaned and reinstalled. They were so brilliant that the press assumed they were new. Mrs. Lincoln left the three large mahogany tables with black and gold marble inlays, which had long occupied the room, below each chandelier. Two funerals for Lincoln Family members were held in the East Room in the 1860s. The first was that of 11-year-old Willie Lincoln , President Abraham Lincoln 's son, who died of typhoid fever on February 21, 1862. Just over three years later, Lincoln's body lay in state in

5940-459: The Johnsons' desire for a larger stage, and contacted noted ballet and theatrical designer Jo Mielziner to design something. Mielziner crafted a stage which took up a full third of the East Room, and featured cream white-painted pilasters matching the room's architecture. Mileziner originally wanted the stage's curtains to have the same fabric used for the East Room drapes. But when he learned of

6075-669: The Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress , others are split among other libraries, historical societies, and private collections. However, many materials have been lost or deliberately destroyed. Lucretia Rudolph Garfield , the wife of James A. Garfield (president from March 4, 1881, until his death on September 19, 1881) added a Memorial Library wing to their family home in Mentor, Ohio , four years after his assassination. The James A. Garfield National Historic Site

6210-625: The NARA presidential library system, and are operated by private foundations, historical societies, or state governments, including the James K. Polk , William McKinley , Rutherford B. Hayes , Calvin Coolidge , Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson libraries. For example, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is owned and operated by the state of Illinois . The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace

6345-821: The Nixon Foundation would continue to own the campus and operate the Nixon Library complex with NARA. On October 16, 2006, Dr. Timothy Naftali began his tenure as the first federal director of the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace, and in the winter of 2006 NARA began to transfer the 30,000 presidential gifts from the Nixon Presidential Materials Staff in College Park, Maryland, to the Yorba Linda facility. On July 11, 2007, NARA began its operations at

6480-573: The Nixon Geography Challenge, a 35-question test of countries and sites around the world, to Middle School students in Yorba Linda . Test takers with high scores are honored at the library with a certificate of distinction. In January 2004, the United States Congress passed legislation that provided for the establishment of a federally-operated Nixon Presidential Library. Specifically, the legislation amended

6615-615: The Nixon Library came from private sources. The estimated cost to build the institution was $ 25 million. Ground was broken by Julie Nixon Eisenhower , the youngest daughter of President Nixon and Mrs. Nixon, in December 1988. The Library complex was officially dedicated on July 19, 1990. Former President Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon were present, as were President George H. W. Bush , former President Gerald Ford , former President Ronald Reagan , and first ladies Barbara Bush , Betty Ford , and Nancy Reagan . A crowd of 50,000 gathered for

6750-574: The Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California. Presidential library system In the United States , the presidential library system is a nationwide network of 16 libraries administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). These are repositories for preserving and making available the papers, records, collections and other historical materials of every president of

6885-542: The Nixon Library site and the facility's name was changed to Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. In May 2012, on the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Ulysses S. Grant Foundation, it selected Mississippi State University as the permanent location for Ulysses S. Grant's presidential library. Historian John Simon edited Grant's letters into a 32-volume scholarly edition published by Southern Illinois University Press. On April 30, 2013, both chambers of

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7020-637: The Nixon Library, and then-Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein allowed for the Nixon Library to become the twelfth federally funded presidential library, operated and staffed by NARA, in conjunction with the Nixon Foundation. In April 2006, Weinstein appointed Timothy Naftali director of the NARA Library activities. On July 11, 2007, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum

7155-695: The Nixon White House (1969–1973), under the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974. The Presidential Records Act of 1978 established that the presidential records that document the constitutional, statutory, and ceremonial duties of the president are the property of the United States Government. When the president leaves office, the Archivist of the United States assumes custody of

7290-600: The Nixon presidency, directing NARA to take ownership of the materials and process them as quickly as possible. Private materials were to be returned to Nixon. As a result of the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act, President Nixon's White House papers and tapes were held by the National Archives, and so they could not be transferred to a facility in Yorba Linda. Funding to build

7425-562: The Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974, which mandated that Nixon's presidential materials were to remain in National Archives II facility in College Park, Maryland . Under this new legislation, over 30,000 presidential gifts as well as millions of presidential records were moved from College Park to Yorba Linda. In March 2005, the Nixon Foundation invited the National Archives to jointly operate

7560-448: The United States since Herbert Hoover , the 31st president from 1929–1933 . In addition to the library services, museum exhibitions concerning the presidency are displayed. Although recognized as having historical significance, before the mid-20th century presidential papers and effects were generally understood to be the private property of the president. Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd president, 1933–1945) proposed to leave his papers to

7695-574: The Washington, D.C., firm of W. B. Moses & Son to redecorate much of the White House in 1881, including the East Room. Moses & Son added new window curtains and drapes, and a suite of ebony furniture carved in a Japanese style. This suite included sofas, arm chairs, side chairs, and corner chairs. Arthur then auctioned off an immense quantity of older White House furnishings in April 1882, including some amount of undescribed older furniture from

7830-579: The White House a more elegant symbol of the nation. The East Room's original 18-lamp chandeliers were removed by Jackson in 1834 and placed in the State and Family Dining Rooms . Véron supplied the East Room with a more luxurious set. Furniture upholstered in light blue, light blue curtains, and imported French silver wallpaper with a gold border were added to the East Room by the Martin Van Buren administration in 1839. At some point prior to

7965-593: The White House theater) were used for this purpose. Additional seating was provided by cushioned bentwood chairs with canework backs (which had long been owned by the White House but whose provenance was unclear). While the Kennedy stage was fine for the small, intimate performances in the East Room which the Kennedys favored, President Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson favored larger, more elaborate performances. Ballet patron Rebekah Harkness learned of

8100-410: The White House's early American interiors. Although this last guideline was followed in most rooms, it was not in the East Room. McKim, Meade & White drew their inspiration for the East Room from British and French manor house interiors of the 1790s. Nonetheless, the Colonial Revival style was more of an idealized than historically accurate aesthetic, and McKim, Mead & White's interiors reflected

8235-497: The bare East Room to dry. Although much of the White House was finished and decorated during Adams administration, the East Room was not. The room's lone artwork was a copy of the Lansdowne portrait depicting George Washington , painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1797. It was purchased by the White House in 1800, and hung in the East Room. (Rescued from the 1814 fire, it still hangs there, with a companion portrait of Martha Washington painted by Eliphalet Frazer Andrews in 1878.) There

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8370-467: The beams, was refrescoed as well. Elaborately carved new fireplaces painted in white and gold replaced the simpler 1829 fireplaces. To help integrate the load-bearing columns into the room, white and gold painted pilasters were added to the room. White-painted carved paneling with Greek Revival designs; massive, low-hanging, cut-glass chandeliers (replacing those which had hung since 1834); pearl gray and gilt wallpaper, and wall-to-wall carpeting in

8505-427: The ceiling centerpieces and cornices were regilded. Only once did Mrs. Johnson intervene, and that was to request that the paint applied to ceiling be of the highest quality. Patterson also had the three large marble-topped tables removed from the East Room and placed in the family private quarters, and two of the four pier tables added to the Family Dining Room. The East Room was finished in early 1867. The East Room

8640-409: The ceiling has given way." Latrobe also proposed sealing the windows on the east side of the room based on an architectural theory about natural light. But this change was not made. The East Room was among the last rooms on the State Floor to be completed and used. The White House was unfinished when President John Adams occupied it between 1800 and 1801. His wife, Abigail Adams , hung laundry in

8775-419: The ceiling, and two of the east-facing windows were blocked off and fireplaces with black Italian marble mantelpieces installed in their place. The Jackson administration turned to French-born American importer Louis Véron of Philadelphia for assistance in furnishing the executive mansion. Véron was one of the first merchants to display items from a wide range of suppliers in a showroom, rather than manufacture

8910-405: The center window between the fireplaces, designed a valance for the center window while putting all other drapes behind window boxes. For the drapes, Boudin suggested a braid border and tie-backs made of ball fringe covered in satin. Kennedy disapproved of Boudin's proposal for the valance and window boxes, as it did not make use of the historic 1902 gilt window cornices. She did, however, approve of

9045-433: The ceremony. At the dedication, Nixon said, "Nothing we have ever seen matches this moment–to be welcomed home again." The museum, housed in a 52,000-square-foot (4,800 m) building, offers a narrative of Nixon's life and career. Behind the museum is the birthplace , which was constructed by Nixon's father using a home building kit, and restored to appear as it was in the 1910s. President Nixon and Pat Nixon are buried on

9180-474: The chains holding the chandeliers shortened. The East Room also had a new parquet floor in a style taken from a design at the Palace of Fontainebleau , and silk curtains over the windows. The Truman administration did not seek, nor did it receive, many donations of furniture for the White House during the 1952 renovation. But two items were received which made it into the East Room. These were mid-17th century Adam cambelback sofas, which were placed beneath

9315-402: The city. They did serious damage to the carpet, and sometimes shot bullets into the walls. Mary Todd Lincoln refurbished the room with damask drapes, lace curtains, wallpaper, and a new $ 2,500 carpet later that year. The wallpaper was heavy patterned velvet cloth paper from Paris in crimson, garnet, and gold, and supplied by William H. Carryl & Brother of New York. The floor covering

9450-460: The company's own design. The existing pier tables were removed, and four richly carved and gilded Louis XVI Revival style console tables, also designed by Marcotte & Co., were placed between the pilasters. The existing seating was also removed, and Marcotte & Co. replaced it with 13 Louis XVI Revival gilded banquettes (upholstered benches). Marcotte & Co. also supplied new ornate gilded frames for each over-mantel mirror. A few items in

9585-467: The complex is jointly operated by NARA and the Richard Nixon Foundation. The Nixon Presidential Library was originally going to be built on the edge of Duke University , Nixon's alma mater, but due to protests largely driven by a group of Duke professors, the plans failed. Historically, all presidential papers were considered the personal property of the president. Some took them at the end of their terms while others destroyed them. Franklin D. Roosevelt

9720-477: The cost too high (and without any economy of scale cost-savings), Kennedy then designed her own portable standing ashtrays. Twenty were eventually manufactured out of dark wood by White House carpenters, although the gray granite tops for the Kennedy-designed ashtrays were made by Jansen at a cost of $ 310. Much of the furniture in the East Room was removed by Boudin to make the room appear to be of

9855-535: The cost, he settled for American-made gold silk curtains instead. The larger stage took eight men three days to set up. In 1964, President Johnson issued an executive order creating a new Committee for the Preservation of the White House. This body was tasked with advising the President and First Lady on the decor, preservation, and conservation of the East Room and other public rooms at the White House. The committee has met continuously since then, except for

9990-468: The design. Originally, they were to be of brocatelle , a jacquard weave fabric similar to brocade but thicker and heavier and with designs in high relief . But this design was countermanded by Boudin. Instead, gold lampas, trimmed with braid and hemmed with gilt, spun-metal twisted fringe at the bottom, was installed in flat panels from behind each cornice. The curtains and valances took nearly three years to design and manufacture, and were not hung in

10125-399: The east wall. Kennedy's friend, Jayne Wrightsman , donated two early 19th-century wall sconces, which were wired for electricity by White House staff and hung on either side of the center window. Jacqueline Kennedy also conceived the idea of constructing a portable stage for use in the East Room. Designed by ballet impresario Lincoln Kirstein and constructed by White House carpenters,

10260-403: The establishment of a federally operated Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California . In March 2005, the Archivist of the United States and John Taylor, the director of the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation, exchanged letters on the requirements to allow the Nixon Library to become the twelfth federally funded presidential library operated by NARA by 2007, while

10395-475: The exception of John F. Kennedy , Lyndon B. Johnson , and (upon his own death) Jimmy Carter , every American president since Hoover is or has chosen to be buried at their presidential library. Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery ; Johnson is buried at his ranch in the hill country of Texas, west of Austin; Carter plans to be buried near his home in Plains, Georgia . Bill Clinton will be buried at

10530-483: The fabric and tie-backs. Made of a custom-manufactured gold and cream silk lampas , the fabric contained a non-repetitive design of birds, butterflies, cupids, flowers, medallions, roosters, and wheat and featured heavy fringe at the bottom. The drapes were hung in straight panels from the carved and gilded 1902 wooden cornices. The design of the valances was not finalized until April 1964. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson asked Jacqueline Kennedy to assist her in finalizing

10665-512: The federal government for housing in a presidential library managed by NARA. Apart from the presidency of Richard Nixon, the handling of presidential records by NARA for the presidencies of Hoover through Carter (1929–1969, and 1973–1980) are governed by their deeds of gift , whereby the public took ownership of the records of each president. In the wake of the Watergate scandal , Congress asserted public ownership and control of materials from

10800-468: The floor with a red-bordered blue, fawn , and yellow 500-square-foot (46 m ) carpet woven in Brussels . The 1818 Monroe furniture was upholstered, three large mahogany tables topped with marble, and four white marble-topped pier tables placed in the room. For lighting, Véron provided several astral and mantel lamps. Gilded bronze wall brackets for hanging lamps and candles were attached to

10935-663: The former president must raise, if they do decide to build a NARA owned facility. According to NARA, not only are the digital nature of modern records changing the needs, plans, and lessening space requirements of physical storage, but the significantly increased endowment requirement may lessen the likelihood that present and future presidents will continue to build NARA facilities. The thirteen presidential libraries maintain over 400 million pages of textual materials; nearly ten million photographs; over 15 million feet (5,000 km) of motion picture film; nearly 100,000 hours of disc, audiotape, and videotape recordings; and approximately half

11070-419: The former president's life and career both political and professional. Each library also provides an active series of public programs. When a president leaves office, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) establishes a presidential materials project to house and index the documents until a new presidential library is built and transferred to the federal government. The first presidential library

11205-542: The four Monroe-era candelabra (which had been moved), and restored them to the mantels in the room's southern wall. Early 19th-century crystal candelabra (of an indeterminate manufacture) were placed on the mantels on the room's northern wall. To complement the paintings of George and Martha Washington, Jacqueline Kennedy was loaned portraits of a young Bushrod Washington (George Washington's nephew and an Associate Supreme Court Justice) and his wife, Julia Ann Blackburn Washington. These portraits by Chester Harding were hung on

11340-617: The government and ensured the preservation of presidential papers and their availability to the people of the United States. Under this and subsequent acts, nine more libraries have been established. In each case, private and non-federal public sources provided the funds to build the library. Generally, once completed the private organization turned over the libraries to the National Archives and Records Administration to operate and maintain. The library and museum founded for Richard Nixon remained privately owned and managed for many years, but his heirs ultimately reached an agreement for it to become

11475-548: The grounds, just a few feet from the birthplace. The Nixon Library compound also contains the Katharine B. Loker Center and Annenberg Court, a 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m) wing constructed in 2004, which includes a special exhibit room and an exact replica of the East Room of the White House that is used as an event space; the Nixon Foundation leases the East Room for events such as weddings and business meetings. There

11610-596: The inauguration of President William Henry Harrison in March 1841, the East Room acquired eight floor-to-ceiling mirrors with broad, heavily carved frames. President James K. Polk had the White House plumbed for gas heating and lighting in 1848. Cornelius & Company of Philadelphia retrofitted the 1834 chandeliers for gas, and Polk himself watched their first lighting. By the end of the Polk administration in January 1849,

11745-425: The items himself. Nearly all the 1829 furnishings for the East Room were supplied by Véron. Véron also added gilt rays and stars over the west door (the one the president usually used when entering the room). The bare walls were covered with yellow wallpaper with cloth edging, light-blue moreen drapes were added to the windows, and plaster cornices adorned with eagles were installed over the windows. Véron covered

11880-408: The libraries for presidents Hoover to George W. Bush eventually conformed to a model whereby the former president funded or fundraised and built a facility for NARA to house the library, presidents are not required to do so under the law (Nixon's was not under NARA for many years). Nonetheless, according to NARA as of 2023, recent changes in these laws have increased significantly the amount of endowment

12015-451: The library and museum building. Roosevelt's decision stemmed from his belief that presidential papers were an important part of the national heritage and should be accessible to the public. He asked the National Archives to take custody of his papers and other historical materials and to administer his library. On June 30, 2013, new interactive and multimedia exhibits developed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) opened to

12150-408: The many gifts given to the president by American citizens and foreign dignitaries. These gifts range in type from homemade items to valuable works of art. Curators in presidential libraries and in other museums throughout the country draw upon these collections for historical exhibits. Other significant holdings include the personal papers and historical materials donated by individuals associated with

12285-465: The masonry, severely weakening it. Paneling, windows, and furnishings were dismantled, numbered, and stored. Although great care was taken in removing the plasterwork, there was no way to avoid cracking it during removal. Molds were made from the originals, and new plasterwork installed. Even so, architect Lorenzo Winslow simplified many of the designs before they were cast, allegedly to make them look less Renaissance Revival and more "American". Less care

12420-507: The media surrounding the reopening referred to the museum's appeals to the Millennial generation; USA Today called it "a video-centric, cutting-edge experience" in which "guests are constantly invited to try touch screens or other interactive displays." The museum galleries were fact-checked for accuracy by four historians appointed by the National Archives. The money was raised entirely from private sources. The Nixon Library administers

12555-503: The new exhibit was scheduled to open in July 2010. The Nixon Foundation objected to the proposed exhibit, specifically the process by which the proposed exhibit was crafted, due to the fact that the Nixon Foundation was not consulted in the way that other presidential foundations are in similar situations. The foundation filed a 158-page memorandum to the assistant archivist for presidential libraries expressing its dissatisfaction and NARA stated

12690-628: The nonprofit Obama Foundation will partner with the NARA on digitization and making documents available. The Chicago Park District began related construction in August and suspended it in September 2018. It was announced that the city of Chicago would own the center. Historically, all presidential papers were considered the personal property of the president. Some took them at the end of their terms, others destroyed them, and many papers were scattered. Though many pre-Hoover collections now reside in

12825-553: The north wall was designed to provide access to a terrace (never built). The East Room was first assigned a purpose in 1807. Architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe had been brought to the capital by Thomas Jefferson , who made him commissioner of public buildings. Latrobe surveyed the White House in 1803, and architectural drawings of the building (produced in 1807) are the earliest extant plans now known. On his sketches, Latrobe comments "Public Audience chamber entirely unfinished,

12960-479: The paneling for the East Room was condemned as unfit for reuse, whether it was actually unusable or not, and replaced with new wood. (Although some of the East Room woodwork would be chopped up for souvenirs, most of it was used as landfill at Fort Myer in Arlington County, Virginia .) The new panelling was also simpler and had considerably less presence, and was covered in a somewhat lighter color than

13095-558: The period 1981 to 1988. In 1967, the government of Italy donated a late 18th-century carved wood and terra cotta nativity scene to the White House. This 30-piece creche, manufactured in Naples and with the figures clad in original hand-sewn fabrics, was placed on view in the East Room during the Christmas season, and it has been erected there every holiday season since. Ten additional antique Italian nativity figures were donated to

13230-527: The piano in 1992.) Eleanor Roosevelt also changed the draperies in the East Room from gold to crimson. By the late 1940s, the East Room—along with the rest of the White House—was in such poor shape that its structural integrity was at risk. President Harry S. Truman was attending a concert in the East Room on February 11, 1947, when he was informed that the ceiling of the room was being pulled down by

13365-547: The president. These individuals may include Cabinet officials , envoys to foreign governments, political party associates, and the president's family and personal friends. Several libraries have undertaken oral history programs that have produced tape-recorded memoirs. A third body of materials comprises the papers accumulated by the president prior to, and following, his presidency. Such collections include documents relating to Theodore Roosevelt's tenure as Governor of New York and Dwight D. Eisenhower 's long military career. With

13500-533: The public as part of the first renovation of this library since its opening. In 1950, Harry S. Truman decided that he, too, would build a library to house his presidential papers and helped to galvanize congressional action. In 1955, Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955, establishing a system of privately erected and federally maintained libraries. The Act encouraged other presidents to donate their historical materials to

13635-590: The public in a building donated by him on his Hyde Park, New York, estate. Since then, a series of laws established the public keeping of documents and the presidential library system. While not sanctioned and maintained by NARA, libraries have also been organized for several presidents who preceded Hoover and the official start of the Presidential Library Office. The library sites are sometimes referred to as presidential centers . The Barack Obama Presidential Center (44th president, 2009–2017 )

13770-575: The pyramids in Egypt, and on his final flight from the White House in this aircraft. The entire facility underwent a $ 15 million renovation in 2016, and reopened on October 14 of that year with appearances from Dr. Henry Kissinger , former California Governor Pete Wilson and Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai . The new museum includes nearly 70 exhibits, including a replica of President Nixon's Oval Office . Much of

13905-556: The records. The Act allowed for the continuation of presidential libraries as the repository for presidential records. The Presidential Libraries Act of 1986 made additional changes to presidential libraries, requiring private endowments linked to the size of the facility. NARA uses these endowments to offset a portion of the maintenance costs for the library. The Presidential Historical Records Preservation Act of 2008 amended 44 U.S.C.   § 2504 to authorize grants for Presidential Centers of Historical Excellence. While

14040-499: The robust architectural effect was diminished. Red marble mantels were installed, and the remaining Venetian window in the room was narrowed to help create the "American" feel. (The 1902 mantels were given away.) The East Room's chandeliers were rewired and cleaned. The size of the large chandeliers was reduced by several inches, assuming their correct size (68 inches [170 cm] wide and 129 inches [330 cm] high). They were also outfitted with softer internal illumination, and

14175-495: The room contained 24 unfinished mahogany armchairs, four large unfinished mahogany sofas, eight tables made of pine, a door screen, a paper partition, a three-shelf bookshelf, a mahogany map stand, a washstand (with basin and ewer), and a clothes press. But for the most part, from 1818 to 1829 the East Room was unused. Occasionally it was cleared and used for dances, but usually its doors were locked and it served as storage space. A widely reported story claims that for two months in

14310-497: The room in seeking souvenirs, ripping down portions of the wallpaper and stealing cords and tassels from the drapes. Someone even cut a square yard from one of the damask drapes. Others took scissors and knives to the carpet, gouging the oak floor beneath, and gilded ornaments were stolen from the mantels. President Andrew Johnson had the public rooms on the State Floor refurbished in 1866. His wife, Eliza McCardle Johnson ,

14445-460: The room until the Johnson administration in 1965. The drapes and valances cost $ 26,149. The cost was covered by sales of Jacqueline Kennedy's guidebook to the White House, which by 1965 was in its fourth edition. Another major change involved the fireplace mantels, which were painted at Boudin's request to appear like white marble, unifying the look of the room. The Kennedy administration

14580-514: The room were reused, however. These included the mantel candelabra, manufactured by Russell & LaFarge and purchased in the Monroe administration in 1817. A personal inspection by Charles Follen McKim also found the East Room clearly sinking. The problem, not rectified until 1952, was that the interior walls rested on brick columns in the basement, which themselves were sitting on loose rubble footings atop soft soil. The columns were sinking into

14715-422: The room. The East Room was finally completed and decorated in 1829 by Andrew Jackson. New plaster work in the form of a cornice-line frieze of anthemion (a flowerlike, traditional Greek decorative pattern) was installed, three Neoclassical plasterwork medallions affixed to the ceiling, and the demi-lune over the east wall's Venetian window removed and turned into a wall. Decorative wooden beams were added to

14850-527: The section of the north facade fronting the East Room was the least damaged. Latrobe helped to reconstruct the White House. In 1814 and 1815, the rebuilt East Room received new door frames and inlaid mahogany doors that remain in the room today. New plaster work in the form of a gilded cornice-line frieze of anthemion (a flowerlike, traditional Greek decorative pattern) was installed, and the walls plastered (and left unpainted) as well. Federal style furniture, made by Georgetown craftsman William King Jr.,

14985-500: The section. On the narrow ends of the room were smaller sections, similarly decorated. Hanging from the ceiling were three large Bohemian crystal chandeliers. These replaced the larger, out-of-style chandeliers placed there in 1873 during the Grant administration. The tent-and-bowl chandeliers were also provided by Caldwell & Co. but manufactured by Christoph Palme & Co. of Parchen, Bohemia , Austria-Hungary . Their design

15120-422: The soil under the mansion's weight. But forced by Roosevelt to finish the restoration as quickly as possible, McKim was unable to make any structural changes to solve the problem. The East Room chandeliers were altered in 1903 to reduce their diameter slightly to 6 feet (1.8 m), leaving them with just 6,000 glass pieces. The renovated chandelier weight dropped to 1,200 pounds (540 kg). That same year,

15255-496: The spring of 2020, is to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Harding's election to the presidency. In May 2017, it was announced that the Barack Obama Presidential Center , the planned location of the presidential library of Barack Obama , would not be part of the NARA system, making Obama the first president since Calvin Coolidge not to have a federally funded facility. Instead, in a "new model"

15390-411: The stage was clad in red velvet, small, and easily portable. It was stored off-site in a government warehouse, and took three men eight hours to retrieve, set up, clean, and prepare for performances. The Kennedys often provided entertainment in the East Room after formal dinners, which necessitated finding seating for these events. The Hoover Art Deco dining room chairs (which by 1961 had been moved to

15525-419: The summer of 1825, the East Room housed at least one live alligator that belonged to the visiting Marquis de Lafayette , but a lack of contemporary evidence suggests that the story might be apocryphal. Congress appropriated $ 6,000 to finally finish the room in 1826, although the funds were not made available until 1825. President John Quincy Adams used the money to repair the White House rather than finish

15660-550: The tape recordings he had made of conversations in the White House. However, the recordings were to be destroyed after September 1, 1979, if directed by Nixon, or by September 1, 1984, or his death otherwise. Alarmed that Nixon's tapes may be lost, Congress abrogated the Nixon–Sampson Agreement by passing the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act , which was signed into law by President Gerald Ford in December 1974. It applied specifically to materials from

15795-419: The walls, and mirrors in gilt frames placed over the fireplace mantels. Jackson also purchased three cut-glass chandeliers to light the room. Each chandelier, which featured 18 whale oil lamps, hung from the ceiling medallions and were complemented with whale oil wall sconces and table lamps. There were also 20 spittoons . His expenditures totaled $ 9,358.27, provided by a friendly Congress eager to make

15930-540: The war. One of the few revisions came in the East Room, where the Vollmer suite of furniture was moved from the Blue Room. Steinway & Sons donated a second grand piano to the White House in 1938. Steinway historians Miles Chapin and Rodica Prato call it the "best-known art-case Steinway" in the world. Architect Eric Gugler designed the 10.5-foot-long (3.2 m), mahogany case piano (serial number 300,000). The case

16065-427: The weight of the chandeliers. The following day, the chandeliers were taken down. On October 26, 1948, plaster fell from the ceiling of the East Room, exposing a 12-foot-long (3.7 m) crack in the ceiling. Engineers discovered that the ceiling had also dropped by 0.5 feet (0.15 m). The East Room was cleared of all furniture, and floor-to-ceiling X-shaped wooden braces erected in the room to stabilize it. The room

16200-477: Was added below the main chandelier. It was supplied by W. H. Houghton & Co. of Washington, D.C. Cleveland's successor, Benjamin Harrison , refurbished most of the State Floor rooms again in 1891 after the White House was wired for electricity. W. H. Post & Co. of Hartford, Connecticut, did the work. The ceiling was repainted, the wallpaper replaced, and new silk damask curtains installed. The furniture in

16335-514: Was added to the East Room by President James Monroe in 1818. (First Lady Elizabeth Monroe 's involvement was limited to choosing drapery fabric for the room). King produced 24 armchairs and four sofas, all made of mahogany. The total cost was $ 1,408. The furniture was not upholstered, and sat along the walls largely unused. In 1829, the first year of the Jackson administration , the King furniture

16470-536: Was an carpet woven in Glasgow , Scotland . The largest loom in the world was needed to weave the carpet, which covered the entire floor. The drapes were crimson with heavy gold fringe and numerous gold tassels, while the lace curtains behind them were imported from Switzerland . The East Room under the Lincolns remained sparsely furnished, however, as befit a reception hall. The three chandeliers, which dated from

16605-614: Was closed to the public on November 7, and after a two-week vacation in Key West, Florida , the Trumans moved into Blair House on November 21, 1948. During the Truman White House reconstruction that began in 1949, the East Room was found to be in very poor condition. Previous renovations had seriously damaged the interior walls. In one 24-foot-long (7.3 m) section of wall, no fewer than five doors had been cut through

16740-527: Was copied from 18th century English and French chandeliers. Each chandelier weighed more than 1,200 pounds (540 kg), was 11 feet (3.4 m) high, and had 7,000 glass pieces. Caldwell & Co. also designed four gilded bronze floor lamps in the Louis XVI style , and four 6-foot (1.8 m) floor candelabra in the Empire style with Egyptian Revival elements (such as winged lions). The floor of

16875-522: Was extensive feeling in Congress that Adams had adopted too many of the trappings of monarchy, and Congress declined to appropriate funds to finish the room for fear it would look too much like a throne room . During the Jefferson administration, 38 gold-and-black painted chairs were purchased and placed in the room, but little else is known of the room's furnishings prior to 1814. Jefferson also had

17010-623: Was finally upholstered in blue damask silk. Monroe also purchased (for $ 80) a marble bust of George Washington by the Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi , which remained in the East Room probably until the Kennedy redecoration in 1962 (when it was moved to the Blue Room ). Monroe also purchased in 1817 for the fireplace mantels four gilt bronze candelabra, designed and manufactured by the French bronzemaker Pierre-Philippe Thomire . By 1825,

17145-427: Was in frail health and did little in the way of entertaining or overseeing the White House. Johnson instead relied on his daughter, Martha Patterson (wife of Senator David T. Patterson ). In May, the East Room was cleared of furnishings. Mrs. Patterson oversaw the selection of new yellow wallpaper with a black and gold border, lace curtains, and reupholstered furniture. The ceiling was repainted and frescoes added, and

17280-429: Was not originally part of the presidential library system. While the Nixon Presidential Materials Staff, which administers the Nixon presidential materials under the terms of the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act , is part of NARA, the private nonprofit Richard Nixon Foundation owned and operated the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace. In January 2004, Congress passed legislation that provided for

17415-473: Was officially welcomed into the federal presidential library system. Before the National Archives took over its management, the Nixon Library had been accused by several media outlets of glossing over Nixon's 1974 resignation with "whitewashed" exhibits. In 2007, the National Archives removed the Watergate exhibit that had been in place for 17 years and, after three years of empty exhibit space, announced that

17550-404: Was radically redecorated in 1873 during the administration of Ulysses S. Grant . Architects Orville Babcock (Commissioner of Public Buildings and Grounds), Richard Ezdorf, William J. McPherson, and Alfred Mullett were faced with both a decorative and structural task. The heavy walls above the East Room as well as inadequate structural support had caused the ceiling to sag appreciably. Furthermore,

17685-622: Was succeeded as Director by Tamara Martin, the former California State Archivist, who was appointed by Acting U.S. Archivist Debra Steidel Wall in April 2023. The archives, which opened in March 1994 (a month before Nixon's death), house approximately 46 million pages of official White House records from the Nixon Administration. The Nixon Library now holds all of President Nixon's presidential as well as his pre- and post-presidential papers. As of 2012, all processed Nixon presidential materials are available for research use at

17820-422: Was taken in removing the woodwork, some of which was damaged when pried loose. Other pieces were too brittle to be reused, and what could be reused had to be restored (often by removing many layers of paint). But by late 1951, with the White House renovation months behind, costs soaring, and President Truman demanding that the work be sped up, workers found it easier to machine new pieces than restore old wood. All of

17955-575: Was the first to make them available to the public when he donated them to the National Archives in 1939, as the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum , but did so voluntarily. The Watergate scandal and Richard Nixon's subsequent resignation from office complicated the issue, however. In September 1974, Richard Nixon made an agreement with the head of the General Services Administration , Arthur F. Sampson, to turn over most materials from his presidency, including

18090-661: Was the first to permit smoking in rooms on the State floor. To accommodate smoking, Jacqueline Kennedy wanted portable ashtrays for the East Room. She initially considered modified versions of ashtrays seen at the home of her friend, Bunny Mellon , but rejected this idea in favor of a unique design. Maison Jansen designed stands which featured brass legs shaped like bamboo, brass handles, and Carrara glass tops. The ashtrays cost $ 280, were manufactured in Maison Jansen's New York City office, and delivered in January 1963. Finding

18225-489: Was then sealed off. Engineers with the Public Building Administration and White House staff feared the entire building could collapse. President and Mrs. Truman left the White House on September 27, 1948, for a 45-day nationwide political barnstorming tour. When they returned to the White House on November 5, they were immediately informed that the White House had to be evacuated. The White House

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