Theodore Roosevelt desk
Boston, Massachusetts, by A. H. Davenport and Company | |
Materials | Mahogany |
---|---|
Style / tradition | Colonial Revival |
Height | 30 in (76 cm) |
Width | 90 in (230 cm) |
Depth | 53.5 in (136 cm) |
The desk in the Vice President's Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, colloquially known as the Theodore Roosevelt desk, is a large mahogany pedestal desk in the collection of the White House. It is the first of six desks that have been used by U.S. presidents in the Oval Office, and since 1961 has been the used as the desk of the U.S. Vice President.
The desk was made in 1903 to a design by
Design and markings
The Theodore Roosevelt desk is a
Beginning in the 1940s, each user of the desk signed the interior of the center drawer at the end of his term in office.[5] In 1974 it was noted in a memo that the signatures of Truman, Eisenhower, and Johnson (as well as Truman and Eisenhower's initials) were located in this drawer.[1] Since then the drawer has been signed by vice presidents Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Mondale, George H. W. Bush, Dan Quayle, Al Gore, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden, and Mike Pence.[6][7]
History
1902 White House renovation
In 1901, Vice President
These new furnishings were part of a widespread attempt to develop a national design identity which had been growing since the
Planning for the interiors began in earnest in 1902 for the executive offices, state rooms, and family spaces. Because of delays in funds appropriation from Congress, the project had less than six months for the interiors to be designed, built, and installed. The goal was to finish the spaces for the Winter 1903 social season.[13] Mrs. Roosevelt was very hands on with the redesign of the White House and new office building and all fabrics and furniture had to be approved by her.[8] The budget for all of the furniture was $10,000 equivalent to $352,154 in 2023, though a total of $14,054.77 equivalent to $494,944 in 2023 was actually spent on "furniture, carpets, rugs, electric lighting and other fixtures".[15] Construction began on June 20, 1902,[15] wrapped up on September 29, and this building was eventually occupied in the middle of October.[16]
The desk, as well as all other furniture in the Executive Office Building, was designed by McKim and built by furniture-maker
Early use and 1929 fire
The desk was first used by Roosevelt in his Executive Office in the location where the
The West Wing suffered a major fire on December 24, 1929, during
While the desk drawers and their contents had been moved safely out of the building, the main body of the desk was still at risk, especially to water damage from the fire hoses on the freezing cold night. Ike Hoover acquired the tarpaulin awning that covered the White House's east entrance for the upcoming New Years Day reception and used it to cover and protect the desk. The fire was put out by approximately 10:30 p.m. leaving the executive offices, roof, attic, and floors heavily damaged and the press room completely ruined.[22] After the fire, President Hoover immediately started using the White House's Lincoln Study to conduct business in and after a few days moved his official offices to what is now the Vice President's Ceremonial Office.[24] No insurance had been taken out on the White House, so a special appropriation from Congress had to be made to repair the building. A contract was awarded on January 4, 1930, to Charles H. Tompkins Co. to do the repair work and it was completed on April 14 of the same year.[22] The new Oval Office was built slightly larger and in the Colonial Revival style.[9][25]
The desk survived this fire, was later fully repaired, and a duplicate of the desk was constructed. Both desks were placed in storage in December 1929.
Use by Nixon and by vice presidents
When the Resolute desk was placed in the Oval Office, the Theodore Roosevelt desk was moved to the Vice President's Ceremonial Office, where Vice President
When President
The desk was moved back to the Vice President's Ceremonial office following Nixon's resignation, where it has remained since, and has been used by all subsequent vice presidents. A tradition rose where each vice president signs the interior of the center drawer at the end of their time in office. Every vice president since Nelson Rockefeller has signed it, and signatures of presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Johnson are also found in the drawer.[5][6]
In 2007 a two-alarm fire broke out in the Eisenhower Executive Office centered on an electrical closet, or telephone room, near the Vice President's Ceremonial Office. There were no serious injuries. It is unclear if the desk suffered any damage but the office suffered smoke and water damage with the floors described as being "under water."[33]
Timeline
The following table shows the location and users of the Theodore Roosevelt desk from its 1902 installation in the Executive Office Building through to the present.
Tenant | Location | Dates | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Theodore Roosevelt | White House Executive Office | 1902–1909 | |
William Howard Taft | Oval Office White House |
1909–1929 | |
Woodrow Wilson | |||
Warren G. Harding | |||
Calvin Coolidge | |||
Herbert Hoover | |||
Storage | 1929–1945 | ||
Harry S. Truman | Oval Office White House |
1945–1961 | |
Dwight D. Eisenhower | |||
Lyndon B. Johnson | Vice President's Ceremonial Office Eisenhower Executive Office Building |
1961–1969 | |
Richard Nixon | Room 180 Eisenhower Executive Office Building |
1969–1974 | |
Nelson Rockefeller | Vice President's Ceremonial Office Eisenhower Executive Office Building |
1974–present | |
Walter Mondale | |||
George H. W. Bush | |||
Dan Quayle | |||
Al Gore | |||
Dick Cheney | |||
Joe Biden | |||
Mike Pence | |||
Kamala Harris |
Replicas
The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri, has a replica of the Theodore Roosevelt desk as part of a full-scale replica of the Oval Office as it was during Truman's presidency. The objects on the desk include both originals and reproductions as seen in a series of images taken in August 1950.[35] A second replica of the desk in White House Storage. This duplicate was made between 1929 and 1930 after the original desk was damaged in the 1929 Christmas Eve West Wing fire.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Memo, Frank Pagnotta to Robert Hartmann" Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Handwriting File, retrieved January 25, 2017
- ^ a b Serratore , Angela. The presidential desk: A brief history. Curbed. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Room 180. George W Bush whitehouse.gov archives. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- Parade magazine. May 22, 1949. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Vice President's Ceremonial Office. George W Bush whitehouse.gov archives. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ a b Liptak, Kevin. Biden signs desk in farewell tradition. CNN. January 6, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Linge, Mary Kay. "Pence says to 'hold your heads high' in emotional meeting with staffers". New York Post. January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d WHITE HOUSE. An archive of drawings and blue prints from Davenport Co. and McKim, Mead & White, 1902. Christie's. December 3, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e The East and West Wings of the White House: history in architecture and building. White House Historical Association. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- Theodore Roosevelt Center. Dickinson State University. Retrieved December 4, 2020
- ^ The White House Building. White House. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Restoration. p. 7.
- ^ a b c Monkman, Betty C. The White House Collection: The Beaux Arts Furnishing of 1902. White House Historical Association. Retrieved December 4, 2020
- ^ a b Restoration. pp. 45–46.
- ^ a b Restoration. pp. 11–13
- ^ Restoration. p. 13.
- ^ a b c The President's Office, Theodore Roosevelt Administration. White House Historical Association. Retrieved December 4, 2020
- ^ Tour the West Wing. Barack Obama whitehouse.gov archives. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Hess, Stephen. "What Now? The Oval Office". Brookings Institution. January 8, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Postcard view of the Oval Office. White House Historical Association. Retrieved December 4, 2020
- History. March 26, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Treese, Joel D. Phifer, Evan. The Christmas Eve West Wing Fire of 1929. White House Historical Association. Retrieved June 4, 2020
- ^ a b c "Fire Wrecks The White House Offices; Hoover Rushes from Party to Watch it; Aides Brave Smoke to save his papers". The New York Times. December 25, 1929. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c "President Chooses White House Study for Use as Office". The New York Times. December 26, 1929. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ a b President Hoover's Executive Office Suite. Grand Rapids Historical Commission. Grand Rapids Spectator. June 28, 1930. Retrieved December 5, 2020
- ^ Artifact Highlight: FDR's Oval Office Desk. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. May 27, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ "The Buck Stops Here" Desk sign. Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ Mrs. Kennedy's decision to move the Resolute Desk into the Oval Office. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. March 27, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ThoughtCo. October 31, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ Google Arts and Culture. Retrieved December 4, 2020
- ^ a b c Nixon Secret White House Recordings: Collection Specifications. Miller Center of Public Affairs. University of Virginia. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ Richard Nixon Presidential Library. Retrieved December 5, 2020
- ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. "Fire Breaks Out on White House Grounds". The New York Times. December 20, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Lakritz, Talia. Check out Kamala Harris' new vice presidential offices, which are full of historic White House artifacts. Insider. February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ Davenport, Jerry. President Truman's Desk. Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved December 5, 2020
Bibliography
- Restoration of the White House: Message of the President of the United States Transmitting the Report of the Architects. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
External links
- Media related to Theodore Roosevelt desk at Wikimedia Commons
- Clip from The President: January 1969. MP904. showing the Johnson desk being moved out of the Oval Office and the Theodore Roosevelt desk being moved in.