East Room - History and Design

History and Design

In the earliest floor plans, the room is labeled as the "Public Audience Hall." Many thought the title sounded too similar to a throne room, and too regal for a new republic. The East Room was among the last rooms on the State Floor to be finished and used. Abigail Adams hung laundry to dry there. During the Jefferson administration the room was partitioned and the southern end used for Meriwether Lewis's bedchamber and office. In 1814–1815, following the burning of the White House, the East Room received new door frames and inlaid mahogany doors that remain in the room today. New finished plaster work in the form of a frieze of anthemion (a flowerlike, traditional Greek decorative pattern) was installed. This work was directed by architect to how the house appeared before and immediately after the 1814 fire. As the East Room had not been decorated until 1829, McKim took some liberties, devising a grand Beaux-Arts style reception hall. The room was panelled based on the 1780 Louis XVI style Salon de famille in the Château de Compiègne and painted cream white. Three large Bohemian crystal chandeliers, an oak parquet floor and a carved and gilded suite of banquettes and console tables completed the room. In 1938, working with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, staff architect Eric Gugler designed a concert grand piano built by Steinway & Sons. The piano is decorated with a gilded frieze illustrating American dance: alternating European style waltzes with western cowboy, African American and Native American dance. The piano is supported by three large gilded eagles in the Art Moderne style.

During the Truman White House reconstruction of 1949–1952, the East Room panelling, plaster ceiling and furnishings were dismantled, numbered, and stored. However damage to the original woodwork and plasterwork required both be replaced. New panelling was carved, but simpler and with considerably less presence. A simpler crown molding and ceiling medallions were also installed. While the feeling was similar, the robust architectural effect was diminished. The size of the large chandeliers was reduced by several inches and outfitted with internal illumination for softer lighting. Red marble mantels were installed during the Truman renovation. There is a copy of the East Room at the Nixon Presidential Library in Southern California.

During the Kennedy restoration, interior designer Stéphane Boudin recommended the mantels be faux painted to appear as white marble, providing more unity to the room. Boudin also oversaw design of new drapery for the room, not installed until the Johnson administration. Made of a custom manufactured gold silk lampas, the drapery was hung in straight panels without valances from the carved and gilded 1902 wooden cornices.The Kennedys installed a small moveable stage for the room, the Johnsons had a larger temporary stage with Corinthian pilasters matching the room's architecture built. This allowed for small theatrical events to be performed as entertainment following state dinners. During the Clinton administration the faux marble finish was removed from the mantels revealing the red marble and new Aubusson style carpets were woven to protect the parquet floors. Mrs. Bush installed new curtains, following the Kennedy fabric but with deeper swagged valances than those selected by Mrs. Reagan in 1982. Hers were the second curtains to follow the Kennedy fabric for the East Room.