Cabinet Room (White House)

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The cabinet of Barack Obama meeting in November 2009 Obama cabinet meeting 2009-11.jpg
The cabinet of Barack Obama meeting in November 2009
Plan of the first (ground) floor of the White House; the Cabinet Room is visible at center. White House West Wing - 1st Floor.png
Plan of the first (ground) floor of the White House; the Cabinet Room is visible at center.
Video about the Cabinet Room and the Cabinet
The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, July 4, 1776, circa 1873 by Charles Edouard Armand-Dumaresq, has been on display in the Cabinet Room since the late-1980s. Signing of Declaration of Independence by Armand-Dumaresq, c1873.png
The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, July 4, 1776, circa 1873 by Charles Édouard Armand-Dumaresq, has been on display in the Cabinet Room since the late-1980s.

The Cabinet Room is the meeting room for the officials and advisors to the president of the United States who constitute the Cabinet of the United States. The room is located in the West Wing of the White House, adjoining the Oval Office, and looks out upon the White House Rose Garden.

Contents

The first inauguration of Harry S. Truman as the 33rd president of the United States was held at 7:00 pm on Thursday, April 12, 1945 in the Cabinet Room.

Though completed in 1934, the room is built in the Georgian style. The neoclassical ceiling molding with triglyphs was installed in 1934. A series of French doors topped with arched lunette windows are located on the east side of the room. The light switch can be found on the wall, to the right by said doors. [1] A fireplace, flanked by two niches is located on the north side of the room. Busts of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin by Jean-Antoine Houdon fill the niches. Above the mantel hangs a painting titled The Signing of the Declaration of Independence by Charles Édouard Armand-Dumaresq, (French, 1826–1895). Additional portraits along the west wall are chosen by an incumbent president.

The large elliptical mahogany table was a gift from President Richard Nixon in 1970. The president and the cabinet secretaries' chairs are copies of a late-eighteenth century design. The president's chair is centered on the table on the east side of the room. The back of the president's chair is two inches taller than those of the cabinet secretaries. Engraved brass plates with the names of the cabinet positions are attached to the back of the chairs. The president's simply says "THE PRESIDENT." The chairs may be purchased by the cabinet members upon leaving office, in case they wish to keep the chair as a souvenir. [2] Some cabinet members have had their chairs returned to the cabinet room for several positions and administrations.

In 2006, the room was refurbished somewhat similarly to its appearance during the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt when the West Wing and current Cabinet Room were largely rebuilt following damages from a fire at the end of the Herbert Hoover administration. This includes Art Deco style wall sconces with spread eagles supporting internally lit globes. Three overhead Moderne style glass pendant lights were recreated from old photographs and a similar surviving example in a hallway between the Oval Office and Roosevelt Room. The room is painted an off-white color called deauville. A custom made carpet, in shades of carmine, old gold, sapphire and fern green with a pattern of overscaled stars and olive leaves was woven for the room.

The refurbishment of White House rooms is jointly undertaken by the Curator of the White House, the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, and White House Historical Association. Costs relating to construction are often funded by the White House Endowment Trust. The purchase of fine art, historic furniture, or the recreation of period decorative arts, is frequently paid for by the White House Acquisition Trust.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Wing</span> Structure part of the White House complex

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Room</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplomatic Reception Room</span> Room in the White House

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross Hall</span> Hallway in the White House

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow Oval Room</span> Room in the White House in Washington, D.C., United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roosevelt Room</span> Part of the US White House

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Staircase (White House)</span> Staircase in the White House

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Lawn</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Lawn</span> Location within the White House campus in Washington, DC

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Sitting Hall</span> Room in the White House

The West Sitting Hall is located on the second floor of the White House, home of the president of the United States. The room is entered from the second floor Center Hall on the east side of the room. The room features a large lunette window on the west wall looks out upon the West Colonnade, the West Wing, and the Old Executive Office Building. The room is used by first families as a less formal living room than the Yellow Oval Room.

References

  1. "Pete Souza on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  2. "The Cabinet Room".

Further reading

38°53′51″N77°02′15″W / 38.8975°N 77.0374°W / 38.8975; -77.0374