Visitor Michael pointed me to a Guardian UK page with an interesting Blair WH visit slide show, under "Washington." (On the Guardian UK page, click on the picture that looks like the one at right.) I've taken a fine one of them in the corridors of the West Wing and added it to the appropriate page.There are also a couple of great ones of the PM in the second floor Central Hall, under "A Month With Blair," one of which I nabbed as well for that page.
Just wanted to take this opportunity to shout out how the White House rocks and is the coolest building on the planet.
ReplyDeleteSo Wingnut - have you had anymore cool White House Dreams lately? Did you see the New and Improved (?) Green Room?
ReplyDeleteAs for that pic of Dubya and Tony Blair in the upstairs Center Hall - I think it's really great that they uncovered the Truman Renovation era "shells" above the doors to the Yellow Oval Room and to the short corridor between the East and West bedrooms on the north side of the house. There are still two "shells" - above the two bookcases that are still hidden (and have been since Jackie and Boudin "suppressed" them in 1961) on either side of the door to the Yellow Oval Room.
Actually, it won't be too long until the 1952 White House will be seen as "historical" in it's own right. I'd like to see the additional bookcases/shells uncovered and restored to their rightful places.
But then of course, I never met a bookcase I didn't like - and maybe I'm just envious of bookcases that aren't being used when people in New Orleans (in my own house, in fact) are starving for bookcases...
: )
I remember when my mother used to tell me, "Put away your books. There are children in China starving for bookcases." And now to see it in our own backyard....
ReplyDeleteI agree that the 1952 renovation will be historic in its own right and that more of it is being revealed, although I don't know that I would want those bookshelves and shells returned. The shells now visible may be enough.
ReplyDeleteThe shelves and shells were a true attempt to make the Central Hall a more artistic and elegant looking place. Just compare the pre & post Truman renovation photos. The Central Hall, IMO, was a hodge podge of portraits, books, and furniture that wasn't even good enough for the lobby of a Hilton.
Post-Truman there were new chandeliers, built in book shelves, the shells, and a real attempt to improve the furniture. I can understand why the 1952 White House was truly considered a wonderul improvement over the old.
Look closely at the photo of the Central Hall in 1975, looking east. You can see the outline of the covered shell over the door to the east/west bedrooms and also the two covered bookcases/shells on either side.
ReplyDeleteI truly think that the "shells" should be uncovered. They look nice in the 1952 photographs....
ReplyDeleteAnyone know of any articles/photographs of the ongoing Green Room renovation?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.yale.edu/opa/v31.n13/story3.html
ReplyDeleteThis is an article from 2002 that mentions some of the details of the East Room, Green Room, Library and Lincoln Bedroom renovations. Just FYI. I will try to find more.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/14/AR2007021400371.html
ReplyDeleteThis is an article that I think has been referenced on this site already; but if anyone is interested it has some good information on ongoing WH restoration projects...