Existing comment:
"We have not the least fence, yard, or other convenience, without, and the great unfinished audience room I made a drying room of, oto hang up the clothes in."
-- First Lady Abigail Adams, 1797-1801
No Place Like Home:
Early occupants of the White House had to share the Second Floor with the president's office space.
Families crowded into this Second Floor living area, reserving the First Floor primarily for dining and entertaining. With the construction of the West Wing in 1902, the entire Second Floor became private living space. The family quarters continued to expand and evolve with the construction of a full Third Floor in 1927, a complete renovation finished in 1952, and the addition of a private dining room and kitchen in 1961. |