South Lawn
The South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., is directly south of the house and is bordered on the east by East Executive Drive and the Treasury Building, on the west by West Executive Drive and the Old Executive Office Building, and along its curved southern perimeter by South Executive Drive and a large circular public lawn called The Ellipse.
Since the address of the White House is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and the North Lawn faces Pennsylvania Avenue, the South Lawn is sometimes described as the back lawn of the White House.
Description and use
The South Lawn presents a long north–south vista from the White House. Open to the public until
History and design
When the White House was first occupied in 1800 the site of the South Lawn was an open meadow gradually descending to a large marsh, the Tiber Creek, and Potomac River beyond.
During the administrations of
Horticulture
Specimen trees
Trees on the South Lawn include the earliest remaining trees on the grounds to have been planted by a United States president, President Andrew Jackson's southern magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora) on either side of the South portico, Japanese threadleaf maple (Acer palmatum dissectum), American elm (Ulmus americana), white oak (Quercus alba), white saucer magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana), Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), and northern red oak (Quercus rubra).[9]
Seasonal plantings
The South Lawn pool and fountain is planted seasonally with borders of
Amenities
Ceremonial gardens
The two ceremonial gardens of the White House (the Rose Garden and the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden) face the South Lawn. The Rose Garden (sometimes referred to as "The presidents Garden") is located south-west of the main residence along the west colonnade, just outside the Oval Office. The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden is located south-east of the main residence along the east colonnade. The garden was dedicated by Lady Bird Johnson as the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden on April 22, 1965, although it has been called the "First Lady's Garden" by some later administrations.
Tennis and basketball court
A tennis court was first installed during the Theodore Roosevelt administration on the south lawn. Since then, the court has been moved several times, eventually landing in its current position in the south-west area. President Obama had basketball court lines and removable baskets installed so he could play full court basketball. Located just west of the tennis and basketball court is a half-court basketball area that also housed a horseshoe pit.
Swimming pool
In 1975, the outdoor swimming pool was installed by President Gerald Ford.[11][12] It is located directly south of the West Wing. A cabana was later added. The original pool at the White House was indoors, located in between the main residence and the West Wing. However, President Richard Nixon turned it into an area for the press, now known as the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.[13]
Putting green
The
Horseshoe pit
A
Children's garden
The children's garden is located between the tennis court and basketball court to the south-west area of the property. The garden was a gift to the White House in 1968 from President Johnson and his wife. The garden supplies a secluded location for children to play in private. The garden features a goldfish pond in the sitting area. Footprints and handprints of various President's children and grandchildren are embedded in various stones making up the walkway.
Helicopter landing area
The south lawn provides space for the president's helicopter, Marine One, to land directly on the White House grounds. The helicopter will take off and land in the grassy area directly south of the main residence. For aesthetic reasons, the lawn does not contain a full helipad, but rather three removable aluminum discs which accommodate the helicopter's individual landing gear.
1974 White House helicopter incident
The climax of the 1974 White House helicopter incident occurred on the South Lawn.[19]
Running track
President Clinton had a quarter-mile (0.4 km) long jogging track installed during his presidency in 1993. An avid runner, Clinton would regularly want to go on runs, but his doing so greatly disrupted Washington traffic; thus the track was built adjacent to the South Lawn driveway. At a distance, its spongy surface is virtually indistinguishable from the driveway's asphalt.
Playground
A playground was installed in 2009 under President Obama for his two children, Sasha and Malia Obama. The playground was located just south of the Oval Office near the Rose Garden, but removed at the end of the Obama administration.
Vegetable garden
Michelle Obama installed a vegetable garden during her husband's presidency on the far south area of the property. The vegetables grown are used at the White House for meals as well as donated to area shelters.[20][21] The Obamas also installed a beehive on the south lawn.[22]
Belleau Wood tree
During French President
According to Le Monde, the oak tree given by Macron died in quarantine in 2019.[28] There are no messages about the status of the backup tree.
References
- ISBN 0-912308-69-9.
- ISBN 0802711928.
- ISBN 0-912308-69-9.
- ISBN 0802711928.
- ^ ISBN 0802711928.
- ISBN 0802711928.
- ISBN 0802711928.
- ^ "Dale Haney hosts Ask the White House". Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. October 16, 2008. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ISBN 0-912308-69-9.
- ISBN 0-912308-69-9.
- ^ "The History of Pools at the White House". Gohlke Pools. January 27, 2011. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "homeusetool". Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-55553-547-6. Archivedfrom the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ James, Masters (October 20, 2014). "The President's club: How golf took over the White House". CNN. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ^ Associated, Press (September 5, 1991). "Bush Gets Putting Green on White House Lawn". LA Times. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ^ Jones, Robert Trent Jr. "Robert Trent Jones Jr. on the history of the White House putting green". golf.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ^ "The White House Museum: Horseshoe Pitch". White House Museum. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Brian Yablonski (December 11, 2018). "Farewell to Our Horseshoe President". National Review. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Freeze, Christopher. "The Time a Stolen Helicopter Landed on the White House Lawn – Robert Preston's wild ride". Air & Space. Smithsonian. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ Burros, Marian (March 20, 2009). "Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House (Published 2009)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ Black, Jane (April 9, 2009). "The First Garden Gets Its First Planting". voices.washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- Hearst Communications, Inc. Archived from the originalon December 25, 2009.
- ^ Rogers, Katie (April 24, 2018). "Trump's First State Dinner: Details (and Some Guesses)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ Scott, Andrea (April 24, 2018). "French president, Trump plant oak sapling from Belleau Wood in White House garden". Marine Corps Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ "White House tree: Emmanuel Macron's sapling disappears". BBC News. April 29, 2018. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ "CBS: White House mystery solved: Where is Macron's gifted oak tree?". Associated Press. April 30, 2018. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ "Trump-Macron Oak Tree to Spend Years in Quarantine", CBS SF, Associated Press, May 25, 2018, archived from the original on January 31, 2021, retrieved January 27, 2021
- ^ Paris, Gilles; Semo, Marc (June 5, 2019). "Entre Trump et Macron, la fin des illusions". Le Monde (in French). Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
Further reading
- Abbott James A., and Elaine M. Rice. Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration. Van Nostrand Reinhold: 1998. ISBN 0-442-02532-7
- Clinton, Hillary Rodham. An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History. Simon & Schuster: 2000. ISBN 0-684-85799-5
- Leish, Kenneth. The White House. Newsweek Book Division: 1972. ISBN 0-88225-020-5
- McEwan, Barbara. "White House Landscapes." Walker and Company: 1992. ISBN 0-8027-1192-8
- Mellon, Rachel Lambert. The White House Gardens Concepts and Design of the Rose Garden. Great American Editions Ltd.: 1973
- Seale, William. The President's House. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 1986. ISBN 0-912308-28-1
- Seale, William, The White House: The History of an American Idea. White House Historical Association: 1992, 2001. ISBN 0-912308-85-0
- Seale, William. The White House Garden. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 1996. ISBN 0-912308-69-9
- The White House: An Historic Guide. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 2001. ISBN 0-912308-79-6