Library

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 and is located in the northwest of the ground floor. The Library is used for teas and meetings by the President and First Lady. 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,... more

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 and is located in the northwest of the ground floor. The Library is used for teas and meetings by the President and First Lady. 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." It continued to be used as a laundry until 1902 when President Theodore Roosevelt had the White House renovated by the architect Charles Follen McKim. President Franklin Roosevelt first conceived of using the room as a library in 1935. 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... less