Editing White House (section)

== The White House since the Kennedy restoration ==
[[File:Aerial view of Lafayette Park and Washington Mall, Washington, D.C. LCCN2010630447.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The White House complex and vicinity, viewed from the north with the [[Potomac River]], [[Jefferson Memorial]], and [[Washington Monument]] visible to the south]]

Congress enacted legislation in September 1961 declaring the White House a museum. Furniture, [[Fixture (tool)|fixtures]], and decorative arts could now be declared either historic or of artistic interest by the president. This prevented them from being sold (as many objects in the executive mansion had been in the past 150 years). When not in use or display at the White House, these items were to be turned over to the [[Smithsonian Institution]] for preservation, study, storage, or exhibition. The White House retains the right to have these items returned.{{r|AbbottRice|p=29}}

Out of respect for the historic character of the White House, no substantive architectural changes have been made to the house since the Truman renovation.{{r|YsEpb}} Since the Kennedy restoration, every presidential family has made some changes to the private quarters of the White House, but the [[Committee for the Preservation of the White House]] must approve any modifications to the State Rooms. Charged with maintaining the historical integrity of the White House, the congressionally authorized committee works with each First Family – usually represented by the first lady, the [[White House Office of the Curator|White House curator]], and the [[White House Chief Usher|chief usher]] — to implement the family's proposals for altering the house.{{r|nJVBo}}

During the [[Nixon Administration]] (1969–1974), First Lady [[Pat Nixon]] refurbished the Green Room, Blue Room, and Red Room, working with [[Clement Conger]], the curator appointed by President [[Richard Nixon]].{{r|t2zEz}} Mrs. Nixon's efforts brought more than 600 artifacts to the house, the largest acquisition by any administration.{{r|MF74M}} Her husband created the [[James S. Brady Press Briefing Room|modern press briefing room]] over [[Franklin Roosevelt]]'s old swimming pool.{{r|press room}} Nixon also added a single-lane bowling alley to the White House basement.{{r|gMser}}

Computers and the first [[laser printer]] were added during the [[Carter administration]], and the use of computer technology was expanded during the [[Reagan administration]].{{r|gff8t}} A Carter-era innovation, a set of [[solar water heating]] panels that were mounted on the roof of the White House, was removed during Reagan's presidency.{{r|wq6cM}}{{r|Burdick}} Redecorations were made to the private family quarters and maintenance was made to public areas during the Reagan years.{{r|da1980}} The house was accredited as a museum in 1988.{{r|da1980}}

In the 1990s, [[Bill Clinton|Bill]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] refurbished some rooms with the assistance of [[Arkansas]] decorator Kaki Hockersmith, including the Oval Office, the East Room, Blue Room, [[State Dining Room of the White House|State Dining Room]], [[Lincoln Bedroom]], and Lincoln Sitting Room.{{r|wh makeover}} During the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|administration of George W. Bush]], First Lady [[Laura Bush]] refurbished the Lincoln Bedroom in a style contemporary with the [[Presidency of Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln era]]; the Green Room, [[Cabinet Room (White House)|Cabinet Room]], and theater were also refurbished.{{r|wh makeover}}

The White House became one of the first wheelchair-accessible government buildings in Washington, D.C., when modifications were made during the presidency of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], who used a wheelchair because of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralytic illness|his paralytic illness]]. In the 1990s, [[Hillary Clinton]], at the suggestion of the Visitors Office director, approved the addition of a ramp in the East Wing corridor, affording easier [[wheelchair]] access for the public tours and special events that enter through the secure entrance building on the east side.

In 2003, the Bush administration reinstalled solar thermal heaters.{{r|Burdick}} These units are used to heat water for landscape maintenance personnel and for the [[White House swimming pool|presidential pool]] and spa. One hundred sixty-seven solar photovoltaic grid-tied panels were installed at the same time on the roof of the maintenance facility. The changes were not publicized as a White House spokeswoman said the changes were an internal matter, but the story was covered by industry trade journals.{{r|FCAxL}} In 2013, President [[Barack Obama]] had a set of [[solar panel]]s installed on the roof of the White House, making it the first time solar power was used for the president's living quarters.{{r|ztiyM}}{{r|BA0aA}}

=== Layout and amenities ===
The current group of buildings housing the presidency is known as the White House Complex. It includes the central [[Executive Residence]] flanked by the [[East Wing]] and [[West Wing]]. The [[White House Chief Usher|chief usher]] coordinates day to day household operations. The White House includes six stories and 55,000 square feet (5,100&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup>) of floor space, 132 rooms and 35 [[bathroom]]s, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, five full-time chefs, [[White House tennis court|a tennis court]], a (single-lane) bowling alley, a movie theater (officially called the [[White House Family Theater]]{{r|JDYhZ}}), a jogging track, [[White House swimming pool|a swimming pool]], and a putting green.{{r|WH facts}} It receives up to 30,000 visitors each week.{{r|bumiller200901}}
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| image1            = WH-OSM.png
| width1            = 68
| caption1          = Layout of entire site
| image2            = WHComplex.svg
| width2            = 300
| caption2          = White House Complex
| image3            = White House West Wing FloorPlan1.svg
| width3            = 168
| caption3          = [[West Wing]]
| image4            = WHground.svg
| width4            = 150
| caption4          = Ground floor
| image5            = White House State Floor.svg
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=== Executive Residence ===
{{Main|Executive Residence}}
[[File:White-house-floor1-cross-Hall.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Cross Hall]], which connects the [[State Dining Room]] and the [[East Room]] on the State Floor]]

The original residence is in the center. Two [[colonnade]]s{{snd}}one on the east and one on the west{{snd}}designed by Jefferson, now serve to connect the East and West Wings added later. The [[Executive Residence]] houses the president's dwelling, as well as rooms for ceremonies and official entertaining. The State Floor of the residence building includes the [[East Room]], [[Green Room (White House)|Green Room]], [[Blue Room (White House)|Blue Room]], [[Red Room (White House)|Red Room]], [[State Dining Room]], [[Family Dining Room]], [[Cross Hall]], [[Entrance Hall]], and [[Grand Staircase (White House)|Grand Staircase]].{{r|OwkS5}} The Ground Floor is made up of the [[Diplomatic Reception Room]], [[Map Room (White House)|Map Room]], [[China Room]], [[Vermeil Room]], [[White House Library|Library]], the main kitchen, and other offices.{{r|8vyYA}}

The second floor family residence includes the [[Yellow Oval Room]], [[East Sitting Hall|East]] and [[West Sitting Hall]]s, the White House Master Bedroom, [[President's Dining Room]], the [[Treaty Room]], [[Lincoln Bedroom]] and [[Queens' Bedroom]], as well as two additional bedrooms, a smaller kitchen, and a private dressing room.{{r|S4zYx}} The third floor consists of the White House Solarium, Game Room, Linen Room, a Diet Kitchen, and another sitting room (previously used as President George W. Bush's workout room).{{r|gqDUm}}

=== West Wing ===
{{Main|West Wing}}

The West Wing houses the [[Executive Office of the President of the United States|president's office]] (the [[Oval Office]]) and offices of his senior staff, with room for about 50 employees. It includes the [[Cabinet Room (White House)|Cabinet Room]], where the president conducts business meetings and where the [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]] meets,{{r|kzExn}} as well as the [[White House Situation Room]], [[James S. Brady Press Briefing Room]], and the [[Roosevelt Room]].{{r|cQOP2}} In 2007, work was completed on renovations of the press briefing room, adding [[Optical fiber|fiber optic]] cables and [[LCD]] screens for the display of charts and graphs.{{r|press room2}} The makeover took 11 months and cost of $8{{nbs}}million, of which news outlets paid $2{{nbs}}million.{{r|press room2}} In September 2010, [[White House Big Dig|a two-year project]] began on the West Wing, creating a multistory underground structure.{{r|vyYFd}}

Some members of the president's staff are located in the adjacent [[Eisenhower Executive Office Building]], which was, until 1999, called the Old Executive Office Building and was historically the State, War, and Navy building.{{r|press room2}}

The Oval Office, Roosevelt Room, and other portions of the West Wing were partially replicated on a [[sound stage]] and used as the [[Setting (narrative)|setting]] for ''[[The West Wing (TV series)|The West Wing]]'' television show.{{r|wKroZ}}

=== East Wing ===
{{Main|East Wing}}

The [[East Wing]], which contains additional office space, was added to the White House in 1942. Among its uses, the East Wing has intermittently housed the offices and staff of the [[First Lady of the United States|first lady]] and the White House Social Office. [[Rosalynn Carter]], in 1977, was the first to place her personal office in the East Wing and to formally call it the "Office of the First Lady". The East Wing was built during [[World War II]] to hide the construction of an underground bunker to be used in emergencies. The bunker has come to be known as the [[Presidential Emergency Operations Center]].

=== Grounds ===
The White House and grounds cover just over 18 acres (about 7.3 hectares). Before the construction of the North Portico, most public events were entered from the [[South Lawn (White House)|South Lawn]], the grading and planting of which was ordered by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson also drafted a planting plan for the [[North Lawn (White House)|North Lawn]] that included large trees that would have mostly obscured the house from Pennsylvania Avenue. During the mid-to-late 19th century a series of ever larger [[greenhouse]]s were built on the west side of the house, where the current West Wing is located. During this period, the North Lawn was planted with ornate carpet-style flowerbeds.

The general layout of the White House grounds today is based on the 1935 design by [[Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.]] of the [[Olmsted Brothers]] firm, commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During the Kennedy administration, the [[White House Rose Garden]] was redesigned by [[Rachel Lambert Mellon]]. The Rose Garden borders the West Colonnade. Bordering the East Colonnade is the [[Jacqueline Kennedy Garden]], which was begun by [[Jacqueline Kennedy]] but completed after her husband's assassination.

On the weekend of June 23, 2006, a century-old [[American Elm]] (''Ulmus americana'' L.) tree on the north side of the building came down during one of the [[2006 Mid-Atlantic United States flood|many storms amid intense flooding]]. Among the oldest trees on the grounds are several magnolias (''[[Magnolia grandiflora]]'') planted by [[Andrew Jackson]], including the Jackson Magnolia, reportedly grown from a sprout taken from the favorite tree of Jackson's recently deceased wife, the sprout planted after Jackson moved into the White House. The tree stood for over 200 years. In 2017, having become too weak to stand on its own, it was decided it should be removed and replaced with one of its offspring.{{r|CcD01}}{{r|KpnOF}}

[[Michelle Obama]] planted the White House's first [[organic garden]] and installed beehives on the [[South Lawn]] of the White House, which will supply organic produce and honey to the First Family and for state dinners and other official gatherings.{{r|U4C8Y}} In 2020, First Lady [[Melania Trump]] redesigned the Rose Garden. [[Berat Albayrak]], Minister of Treasury and Finance of the Republic of Turkey, visited US President [[Donald Trump]] at the White House. President Trump showed him around the rose garden.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 16, 2019 |title=Hazine ve Maliye Bakanı Berat Albayrak ABD Başkanı Trump'la görüştü |url=https://tr.euronews.com/2019/04/16/hazine-ve-maliye-bakani-berat-albayrak-abd-baskani-donald-trump-la-gorustu |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=euronews |language=tr}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed">
File:WhSouthLawn.JPEG|[[Marine One]] prepares to land on the South Lawn, where [[State Arrival Ceremony|State Arrival Ceremonies]] are held.
File:White House, Blue Sky.jpg|A view from the south, with the south fountain
File:1122-WAS-The White House.JPG|A view from the north, with the north fountain
</gallery>