When the Kennedys entered the White House in 1961, they were considered by many to be a breath of fresh air. Young, sophisticated, and attractive, they restored more than the interiors of the White House.
Remembering her childhood visit to the mansion, Mrs. Kennedy told Life magazine, “From the outside I remember the feeling of the place. But inside, all I remember is shuffling through. There wasn't even a booklet you could buy. Mount Vernon and the National Gallery and the FBI made a far greater impression.” Many years later, as she prepared to move in, Mrs. Kennedy was again struck by the bland quality of the rooms, and so began cultivating her plans for the restoration of the White House. Although the Kennedy era restorations were deemed the most successful and significant, they were not the first by a presidential family. From its modest roots in 1800, to its present day splendor, the White House has undergone numerous changes both inside and out, which critics have judged both good and bad.
The White House Before the Kennedys
In the cold November of 1800, John Adams became the first president to inhabit the newly built President’s House, as it was known then. Many of the rooms were unfinished, only one stairway connected the floors, and the walls were bare save for the famous full-length portrait of General Washington by Gilbert Stuart. After his first night in the house, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife Abigail, in which he composed the now famous prayer, “I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall here after inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.” Franklin Roosevelt was so taken with this quote that he had it engraved in the mantelpiece, where it was eventually carved in marble.
The White House experienced its first disaster when the British burned it down during the War of 1812. Dolly Madison, who was alone in the White House as the British approached, managed to secure the Stuart portrait of Washington before she evacuated the premises. She wrote to her sister:
Our Kind friend, Mr. Carroll, has come to hasten my departure, and is in a very bad humor with me because I insist on waiting until the large picture of Gen. Washington is secured, and it requires to be unscrewed from the wall. This process was found too tedious for these perilous moments; I have ordered the frame to be broken, and the canvas taken out; it is done—and the precious portrait placed in the hands of two gentlemen of New York for safe keeping.
A torrential summer rain storm saved the White House from complete destruction the following day. It was restored following the fire, and acquired a rich variety of furnishings and artwork as presidents and their families moved in and out through the years.
Although several presidents planned extensive renovations, it wasn’t until Theodore Roosevelt moved his large, boisterous family into the house in 1901, that it was significantly restored and enlarged. Roller skating contests, pony rides and Chinese wrestling matches were just a few of the activities that the Roosevelts introduced to the previously formal White House setting. The esteemed architectural firm McKim, Mead & White planned a renovation that included a return to the classic original plan of Pierre Charles L’Enfant along with a physical and functional expansion. Rooms were designed in the original style, and many of the extravagant designs of Victorian-era administrations were stripped away.
The next big renovation came with President Truman who, concerned with the physical condition of the White House, established a committee to determine the safety of its foundation. The committee discovered that the foundations of the White House had been substantially weakened over the years and that a major overhaul was necessary. President Truman decided to maintain the old house, keeping the original walls in place, and reinstalling the interiors against a new steel framework. Although President Truman wanted the White House refurnished with antique and historic items, the budget was inadequate, and so the Trumans settled on copies of antiques and several of the McKim, Mead & White furnishings from 1902. The Trumans lived in nearby Blair House during the reconstruction.
The Kennedy White House Restoration: A Question of Scholarship
When the Kennedys entered the White House in 1961, they were considered by many to be a breath of fresh air. Young, sophisticated, and attractive, they changed more than the interiors of the White House. Several of the old social conventions were abolished in order to create a more casual, comfortable atmosphere. Smoking was allowed in the State Rooms, cocktails were served, and receiving lines were almost completely eliminated in favor of a more casual approach to greeting guests. The Kennedys also focused on bringing the arts to Washington and the White House. Mrs. Kennedy had a portable stage set up in the East Room, where performers such as the Opera Society of Washington, mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry and cellist Pablo Casals performed.
Mrs. Kennedy was eager to carry out her ambitious artistitc designs for the White House. Just weeks after the inauguration of her husband, Mrs. Kennedy enlisted the famed decorator Mrs. Henry Parish II, or “Sister” as she was widely known. Within two weeks, the $50,000 budget had been spent on refurbishing the private living quarters. Undaunted, Mrs. Kennedy turned to Winterthur, Henry du Pont’s estate-turned-museum, located outside Wilmington, Delaware, in hopes of acquiring some antique furniture by loan. Charles Montgomery, director of the museum from 1954 to 1961, suggested the formation of a committee of informed and connected people whose goal would be to acquire antique furnishings for the White House. Thus, the Fine Arts Committee was born, and Henry du Pont, considered by many to be the greatest collector of Americana and the most qualified authority on the subject of American historical decoration, was made chairman.