Oval Office
The Oval Office is the formal working space of the president of the United States at the White House in Washington, D.C. Part of the Executive Office of the President, it is located at the southeast corner of the West Wing.
The first Oval Office in the West Wing was constructed under President William Howard Taft in 1909, at the center of the south side of the West Wing. It mimicked the shape of the Yellow Oval Room in the main residence, which was historically used for the President to receive guests. It was damaged in a 1929 fire but restored.
The current Oval Office was the idea of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and was designed by architect Eric Gugler as part of a 1933–34 expansion of the West Wing. The new office offered FDR, who used a wheelchair, easier access, more privacy, and much more natural light. The Taft Oval Office was demolished in Gugler's expansion of the West Wing, and the space became additional staff offices.
The Oval Office has three large windows facing the South Lawn, in front of which the president's desk traditionally is placed. A fireplace at the north end is generally flanked by two armchairs. Two built-in bookcases are recessed into the west wall, and are balanced by two windows in the east wall. There are four doors: the east door opens to the Rose Garden; the west door leads to a private study, bathroom, and dining room; the northwest door opens onto the main corridor of the West Wing; and the northeast door opens to the office of the president's secretary.
The Oval Office takes its inspiration from the oval rooms at the center of the White House's south facade. Presidents generally decorate the office to suit their own personal tastes, choosing furniture and drapery and often commissioning oval carpets. Artwork is selected from the White House collection, or borrowed from museums for the president's term.
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