Patricia Nixon's Green Room

The Green Room after the Nixon redecoration, 1971.
Photo:  White House Historical Association.

By the time Patricia Nixon became First Lady in 1969, the State Rooms of the White House were beginning to show signs of wear despite the extensive efforts that had been made by Jacqueline Kennedy shown in the previous post of The Devoted Classicist.  For those too young to remember, Richard Nixon was a seasoned Washington political figure, serving a term as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives after a stint in the Navy during World War II, then a term in the U.S. Senate, and two terms as Vice-President under President Eisenhower before bitterly losing the 1960 Presidential Election to John F. Kennedy.  So there was no great interest in preserving the Jacqueline Kennedy legacy as the Johnsons had done, but there was enough public sentiment to prevent a complete change of the State Rooms despite an extensive refurbishing.

Clement Conger, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, David Richmond Byers 3rd,
First Lady Pat Nixon, and Edward Vason Jones.

Following Jackie Kennedy's example of assembling an advisory team of notable leaders in the decorative arts, Pat Nixon hired Clement Conger as Curator.  He had become one of the country's most respected authorities in classical American antiques, fine arts, and architecture after orchestrating the creation of the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Reception Rooms.  Self-taught, Conger had a small but experienced group of associates that could be called on to execute various special tasks.  One of these experts was Albany, Georgia designer Edward Vason Jones;  though not formally trained as an architect, he had practical construction experience and had worked as a draftsman for the legendary Atlanta firm of Hentz, Reid and Adler.  Both Conger and Jones continued to work on improvements to the White House through the subsequent Ford and Carter administrations as well.  Conger also worked one term with Nancy Reagan, and eventually Conger oversaw the refurbishing a total of 27 of the 35 principal rooms of the White House.  David Richmond Byers, 3rd, was a partner in the well-regarded Atlanta firm W.E. Browne Decorating Company who had also consulted on the Diplomatic Reception Rooms.  (Another member of this team was Berry B. Tracy, but no record could be found of his official involvement in the Green Room).

Clement Conger, First Lady Pat Nixon, and daughter Tricia Nixon Cox. 1971.
Photo:  UPI.

The pair of Duncan Phyfe worktables may be seen in more detail in the Laura Bush refurbishing of the Green Room, here.  The secretary bookcase, showing a display of porcelain instead of books, between the windows was just one of the many acquisitions made between 1969 and 1974.

First Lady Patricia Nixon, December 14, 1971.
Photo:  AP Wirephoto.

Two easy chairs replaced the pair of small settees at the fireplace.  And a large Oriental rug covers the floor;  this was more a symbol of good taste of the time than a historical example of floor covering.  "The Morning on the Seine, Good Weather", 1897, by Claude Monet was chosen by the Kennedy family as a memorial gift to the White House after JFK's assasination and it was hung in the Green Room before Mrs. Kennedy moved out;  however, the painting was exiled to the Vermeil Room on the first floor during this Nixon refurbishing. Green silk moire from Scalamandre, similar to the Kennedy fabric, was used for the walls, but a different scheme was devised for the curtains.

Edward Vason Jones' drawing for the Green Room curtains, circa 1971.
EDWARD VASON JONES - ARCHITECT, CONNOISSEUR, AND COLLECTOR.
Image via White House Museum Organization.

Edward Vason Jones' design for the curtains, shown with only one jabot and one panel with a gathered swag but probably intending a symmetrical arrangement, was inspired by a document for a historic curtain design.  The new pair of pelmets (or cornice boards, as they are sometimes called) were based on a model found at the Miles Brewton House, a Palladian mansion in Charleston, South Carolina, completed about 1769.

A pelmet in the Miles Brewton House dining room.
Photo courtesy of Mr. Ralph Harvard.
Ralph Harvard Inc

Thanks to Ralph Harvard, Ralph Harvard Inc., who is decorating the still-private residence for the Manigault family, we have a look at the original model, of an unkown date, in the room of the Miles Brewton house now used as the Dining Room.

An exhibition at the Nixon Library features a chair from the Green Room.
(Disregard the curtains, if possible).
Photo:  Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

A recent exhibition at the Nixon Presidential Library celebrates the 100 years since Pat Nixon's birth.  A chair from the Green Room represents the former First Lady's efforts to build the White House Collection.  According to daughter Julie Nixon Eisenhower in an interview in "The New Yorker", Pat Nixon was responsible for over 600 pieces of furniture and art to be added to the collection.

President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford came to the White House after being first appointed Vice-President after Spiro Agnew resigned, and then becoming President after Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974.  Although there was entertaining in the White House during the 895 day Ford administration, the decor of the State Rooms saw little change.

First Lady Rosalyn and President Jimmy Carter are interviewed by Barbara Walters, 1977.
Photo:  NARA.

First Lady Rosalyn Carter established the White House Preservation Fund to provide an endowment to refurnish the State Rooms.  But her interests were much more geared towards issues of social consciousness and humanity than decor.  However, art was also a priority and it was during the Carter era that Conger bought the painting that is often cited as one of the most important works of art in the White House;  "Lighter Relieving a Steamboat Aground" may be viewed in a previous post of The Devoted Classicist here. 

The Green Room decorated for a Reagan Christmas, 1982.
Note the replacement Empire ormolu and crystal chandelier.
Photo:  The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

First Lady Nancy Reagan was well-known for having conflicting White House staff fired.  According to historian William Seale, who is the author of the two volume set THE PRESIDENTS HOUSE: A HISTORY. President Reagan insisted on personally firing Conger who had grown too territorial, it was thought.  Former Secret Service agent Rex Scouten, who had served as the White House Chief Usher since the Nixons, replaced Conger:  although he had no background in decorative arts, he was a particularly dutiful favorite of the First Lady who named her dog after him.  (He also allowed the Reagan's personal decorator Ted Graber to proceed according to Nancy Reagan's wishes).  Mrs. Reagan was very successful in soliciting contributions for the complete redecoration of the private quarters and for maintenance of the State Rooms.  According to the White House Historical Association, over 150 objects in the collection received conservation attention, along with the marble walls, wood doors and floors in the State Rooms during the Reagan era, January, 1981, to January, 1989.

The Green Room as depicted in a Christmas card by Mark Hampton
for President George H.W. and First Lady Barbara Bush.
Image:  George Bush Library and Museum.

President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush revived the Committee for the Preservation of the White House to recommend acquisitions.  The White House Endowment Fund was activated by Barbara Bush to operate under the auspices of the White House Historical Association.

Paula Zahn interviews First Lady Barbara Bush, 1992,
in the Green Room as dog Millie does not even pretend to be interested.
Photo:  George Bush Library and Museum.

Although Mark Hampton extensively decorated the private quarters for the Bushes (as the Reagans took their furniture), little was done towards the decoration of the State Rooms during the Bush term, 1989 to 1993, that followed the Reagan era.

An exterior view of the gib door to the Green Room
from the South Portico, 1992.
Photo:  HABS.

In the second half of the 1980s, this writer travelled to Washington, DC, frequently for private renovation projects and enjoyed seeing the north elevation of the White House stripped of the paint that had built up over the years to reveal the blocks of Aquia Creek sandstone.  Section by section, the paint was chemically removed, carefully cleaning the carved detailing, and left bare to dry out until being repainted again.  It was a particularly beautiful sight to behold as the slight variations in the stone brought an even more handsome face to the building.  In 1992, the same process was repeated for the south elevation, as seen in the photo above recorded by the Historic American Building Survey.  (For archival stability, HABS photos of the pre-digital age were almost always black and white).

An interior view of the gib door to the South Portico
from the Green Room, 1992.
Photo:  HABS.

Although the term sometimes varies, the consensus of my colleagues is that this is a Gib Door.  (If just the panels were hinged below the double or triple hung sash, it would be a Gib Window).

The Green Room Wainscot, 1992.
Photo:  HABS.

Many architectural details were salvaged for the 1948-52 rebuilding of the White House, but most of the wood and plaster trims are new replicas.

The Green Room Ceiling, 1992.
Photo:  HABS.

Although there is some notation that Edward Vason Jones had improved some of the architectural features in the East Room, no specific documentation was found to support that;  perhaps he designed this plaster ceiling medallion.

The Clinton Christmas card, 1996, by Thomas McKnight.
Photo:  William J. Clinton Presidential Library.

President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's decoration of the second floor with Little Rock, Arkansas, decorator Kaki Hockersmith is still talked about in design circles. 

The Clinton Green Room, 1999.
Photo:  NARA.

The Blue Room and the East Room were refurbished in 1995; the Entrance Hall, Cross Hall, and Grand Staircase were refurbished in 1997; and the State Dining Room was refurbished in 1998.

The Clinton Green Room, 1999.
Photo:  NARA.

The Green Room remained with few changes since the Pat Nixon decorating scheme until the refurbishing by First Lady Laura Bush seen here.

Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg with First Lady Michelle Obama
in the Green Room, October 31, 2011.
White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson.

There appears to have been little if any changes to the Green Room by First Lady Michelle Obama.  But Devoted Readers can see for themselves as the Obamas have teamed with the Google Art Project to allow a virtual tour of the White House that is available for view on-line.

The Green Room decorated for Christmas for the Obamas, 2011.
Photo:  AFP/Getty Images.

The White House is one of this country's great treasures, undoubtedly the most famous building in the world, and it deserves better treatment than it has sometimes received in the past.