After being unsuccessful last year, I finally scored a White House tour through my Michigan congressman Carl Levin. Actually, a first tour was scheduled for 9AM, but no one in their right mind travels the I95 corridor between Baltimore and DC at that hour of the morning. That's nuts. So I was lucky enough to reschedule for 11AM on Thursday, November 10.
After checking through security (twice) and then through metal detectors(nothing is allowed except vehicle keys, a cell phone, and an umbrella, no purses, backpacks, cameras) I was led into the Visitor Entrance Building. Exhibits here focused on White House history and seasonal celebrations. Lining the walls and corridors were portraits of Presidents and First Ladies. Fresh floral arrangements (twice weekly) brightened each room. The grounds were landscaped according to the standards established in 1935 by the landscape architecture firm of Olmstead Brothers. One tree on the grounds is a magnolia planted by Andrew Jackson.
The first room on the tour was the Library which contained volumes of history, biography, fiction, and the sciences, all by American authors. The furniture was of the American Federal period and the chandelier once belonged to the family of James Fenimore Cooper. The paneling was made from 1817 timbers salvaged during the 1948-1952 reconstruction.
Next was the Vermeil Room (once the billiard room, containing an extensive collection of vermeil and portraits of recent First Ladies), the China Room (set aside by Edith Wilson in 1917 for displaying pieces of china and glass used by the Presidents), the Green Room (which once served as Thomas Jefferson's dining room, furniture by Duncan Phyfe circa 1910, with a coffee urn owned by John Adams and candlesticks by James Madison), the Blue Room (furniture purchased by James Monroe, Hannibal clock aquired in 1817, the White House Christmas tree is placed here), and the Red Room (once used as a breakfast room by John Adams).
Also on the first floor were the State Dining Room which can seat 130 guests. The painted English oak paneling dates from 1902. Carved into the fireplace mantel is a quotation from a letter by John Adams: "I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof."
The last room on the tour was the East Room, the largest in the White House, used for receptions, ceremonies, and press conferences. It has been the scene of many weddings, including those of Nellie Grant, Lynda Bird Johnson, and Alice Roosevelt. The bodies of seven presidents have lain in state here. The chandeliers date from 1902 and a 1938 concert grand piano, decorated with folk dancing scenes and eagle supports, was presented by the Steinway Company.
The second and third floors (not on the tour) are used only by the Presidential family and guests.
On a side note, my brother had a pottery piece, a bowl with embossed paw prints, purchased recently for the Obama family dog, Bo. A Christmas gift perhaps?
