A peek at the 1930s
Mimlog sent several photos that capture the early 1930s West Wing, Blue Room, and Kitchen. And the 1969 Cabinet Room shows the room before Nixon converted it to match the empire style of the mansion.
Labels: renovations, Residence, West Wing
posted by Derek @ 3:47 PM
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6 Comments:
Isn't it kind of strange that they gave FDR a formal office in the Blue Room when his private study was directly overhead? And, I say that because much of his work was already being done upstairs in what is now the Yellow Oval Room.
I think I prefer the plain blue walls to the symbols all over the walls for the Truman renovation. But, with plain walls, perhaps there should have been a fireplace mirror (like Truman) and a couple of paintings on the walls.
I agree! I like the plain blue walls to the design of the Truman renovation. Also, it looks as if the cabinet also met in this room. If you look at the picture you can see a row of chairs that looks like cabinet room chairs.
I too wonder why they used the Blue Room as opposed to his study?
I also didn't realize they razed the entire West Wing in order to make FDR's changes. I thought they just added onto it and moved the Oval Office.
I love that painting in Seale's book The W.H., History of an American Idea, that shows the actual beautiful deep color of blue that the 1902 Blue Room was - lovely.
I also didn't know the extent of what FDR refered to in his Fireside Chat as "A few changes to the West Wing to make it more comfortable and efficient" or some such line... (unh-hunh...)
On a personal note - today I went over to the Mississippi Gulf Coast (about 60 miles from New Orleans) for the first time since Katrina - (finally got up enough nerve to check it out) and the miles of huge ante-bellum houses that once graced several towns - looking out to sea from their gentle hillsides, with huge liveoak trees heavy with spanish moss - sailboats bobbing in picturesque marinas across the beach highway - are simply - for the most part - no longer there. It is already being built back, (McMansions and highrises now) but it WON'T be like that ever again and that makes me very sad.
I didn't mean to paint such a totally bleak picture of the Mississippi coast - The circa 1830's Biloxi(Mississippi) lighthouse is - amazingly - still there. Biloxi is a very proud old city - over 300 years old now - and my friend, who's head of the Biloxi city planning department, tells me of all sorts of wonderful plans to rebuild, blending new houses built in traditional style, with interesting new architecture. but these people really need our prayers and good wishes.
John,
I too love that painting of TR's Blue Room. That painting also graced the cover of the second edition of the White House Journal. I would love to have a print of that framed and hanging somewhere in my house. I have several of the Large Christmas gift prints framed and hanging up. This would just add to the colection!
I can't imagine how the people of the Gulf Coast cope day-in and day-out with the effects of Katrina. I was in a class last summer with a guy from NO and he described how things were and it was just heart breaking.
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