I'm about a third of the way thru America's First Families (which, it occurs to me, without the subtitle, could be a book about Eskimos), and twice Carl S Anthony refers to two back staircase on the west end second floor of the Residence. Previously, I had dismissed a similar reference as referring to the back staircase on the east end of the house that leads up to the Music Room, but Anthony is clear.
That leaves me wondering if maybe Margaret Truman's bathroom was completely removed or drastically reduced to a tiny lavatory to allow the kitchen spiral staircase to be extended into the second floor during the Kennedy renovation that changed her bedroom into a kitchen. This is what I had thought after exploring the kitchen elevator, but later I wasn't sure enough to keep the change.
Anybody?
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As we have discovered, not every book and author are always accurate about exactly how the White House is designed. While browsing in books stores and even at the White House Visitor's Center in DC, I have found books that have errors. I'm not sure whether Anthony is correct or not. I will also note that it has been over 40 years since JBK changed MT's bedroom into a kitchen. It is possible that sometime over 40 years a small stairway was added. There was much renovation to the Second Floor by the Reagans. The kitchen seems to have taken its present form under the Fords. According to West, the JBK kitchen was done quickly and simply. I doubt that a stairway would have been cut through at that time. Even the pictures on this sight indicate that the JBK kitchen was not what it is today.
ReplyDeleteSorry, the kitchen was in its present form by the time of Nixon's resignation. One can see that in the picture on this site.
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