Sunday, February 5, 2017

White House Conservatory: Then and Now and a Giveaway


While researching historical images for my last post, Botanical Conservatories, I came across a photograph of conservatories attached the the west side of the White House.   

The White House Conservatories c. 1858. Courtesy of Library of Congress
Intrigued, I followed its source to the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division where I found several interior stereographs of the White House conservatory and greenhouses.

Interior view of White House conservatory with plants and greenhouse glass roof c1873. Courtesy of the Library of Congress


Potted azaleas in the White House conservatory c1897. Courtesy of the Library of Congress


Unknown Woman Examining Plants along Path in a White House Greenhouse c1900. Courtesy of Library of Congress

First Lady Lucy Hayes and children c1879
The stereographs merely whetted my appetite, and I dug into the history of the White House looking for images of first families enjoying the benefits of the conservatory. 

I found this delightful one of Lucy Hayes, wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes, sitting in the conservatory with their children on an archived website of The White House, President George W Bush.

My next search focus was discovering when the conservatories were replaced by the West Wing. For this search, I replaced the word, conservatory, with the phrase, west wing, and stumbled upon the fascinating White House Museum site with its page devoted to the West Wing.

And that's where I found this breathtaking White House illustration circa 1860 with the first greenhouse and people dressed in period clothing on a large expanse of green lawn. Even without the east and west wings the building's architectural details proves it to be the unmistakable mansion of America's First Family.


Illustration of the south face, circa 1860, with the first greenhouse (1857-1867). Courtesy White House Museum
According to the website, White House Historical Association, the first conservatory was added at the urging of James Buchanan's niece and hostess, Harriet Lane. Made of wood, it was built adjacent to the State Dining Room on the roof of the west terrace in 1857 and used primarily for plants and flowers. After it burned in 1867, its iron and wood replacement was built twice as large. 


Green houses, White House, Washington, D.C. c 1889. Courtesy of Library of Congress

Over the next two decades, multiple greenhouses were added which enabled the growing of fresh produce for the kitchen, as well as beautiful plants and flowers to grace the White House rooms, all year round. 


 Oranges growing in White House conservatories, Washington, D.C. c1902. Courtesy of Library of Congress

When President Theodore Roosevelt and his large family moved into the residential quarters of an already crowded White House in 1901, something had to be done. 


President Theodore Roosevelt and family, 1903. Courtesy of Wikipedia

The decision was made to take down the conservatories and greenhouses and put up a temporary executive office structure which would allow the separation of the president's work and family life, as well as allow facilities for state visits and guest accommodations. 


The White House, Executive Offices and Treasury, east from the Navy Dep't., Washington, U.S.A. c1906. Courtesy of the Library of Congress

And here's a final one to show the changes after the 1929 fire and subsequent changes after
 Franklin Roosevelt overtook the third renovation of the new executive wing. Note that the term, West Wing, did not come into usage until this period in the 1930s.


The West Wing around 1938, showing the ground floor courtyard. (Library of Congress - Theodor Horydczak)

I hope you enjoyed this photo essay on the White House Conservatories and Greenhouses and I must send a huge thank you to the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division in Washington DC for making these images available to the public.

When you think of the White House, do you think of the politics, or the family who is in residence?
A conservatory is the favorite place of the heroine in my current release, Sweet Love Grows, a novella in The American Heiress Brides Collection. 

In celebration of its release, I'm holding a #Giveaway of one print copy of The American Heiress Brides Collection to one person who leaves a comment on this post before 11:59 pm, Feb 12, 2017. 





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Anita Mae Draper's historical romances are woven under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details. Her Christian faith is reflected in her stories of forgiveness and redemption as her characters struggle to find their way to that place in our heart we call home. Anita loves to correspond with her readers through any of the social media links found at

Readers can enrich their reading experience by checking out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories at www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper.



39 comments:

  1. This. Set of stories sounds good.
    Thereadmaster@me.com

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    1. Thanks, Virginia. I hope you get a chance to read them. :)

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  2. Thank you for sharing this info. I enjoy seeing the photos, too. :-)

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    1. You're very welcome, Melissa. Thank you for letting me know you like the pics. That spurs me on to keep looking. :)

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  3. Very interesting! I was in DC about 6 or so years back and visited a conservatory/botanical garden in downtown. I can't remember if it was actually called the 'National' botanical garden or what.

    pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Patty, it's good to know they have a public one now. Thanks for sharing that.

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  4. I enjoyed these pictures and information! My daughter works in the greenhouses for the Chicago Botanic Gardens -loves her job - and we like visiting other greenhouses and conservatories when we can. Thank you!

    lindajhutchins@gmail.com

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    1. You're welcome, Linda. I loved my years of working in a greenhouse. And yes, I enjoy visiting them when I travel too. Especially the ones with the butterflies. :)

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  5. I've been to D.C. but I'm going again in September of this year on an educational tour with Road Scholar. I liked your post on this little known fact.

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    1. Thanks for sharing that, Sharon. Educational tours are great for discovering fascinating details, too. I hope you enjoy your trip. Make the most of it! :)

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  6. I love history and you have given me quite a history lesson in this post. Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway. I hope to win, but good luck to everyone.

    princessdebbie1_2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for letting me know, Debbie, and thanks for entering. :)

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    2. Thanks for the history of the conservatories and west wing. The pictures are great!! Really enjoyed reading this.
      God bless.

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  7. Thanks for all the history lessons. I love botanical gardens and have visited the one in St. Louis and one outside Chicago at Cantigney in West Chicago. They are new every time you go! It's a shame that some of them are no longer with us but I guess it's "improvement "! paulams49 (AT)sbcglobal(DOT) net

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    1. How lovely, Paula. And yes, I can imagine they're different every time. It's one of the reasons they're worth making return trips while we can. Thanks for sharing that. :)

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  8. Thank you for your interesting post, Anita. I tend to think of the politics side of the White House rather than the family who lives there.

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

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    1. Alas, Melanie, I seem to be thinking of the politics these days as well. Honestly, I've never watched CNN as much as I have in the past 2 weeks. I must be careful though because I can't allow it to interfere with the romance novel I'm working on at this time. I'd rather think of romance than politics any day. I appreciate your visit.

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  9. That was an interesting post. I never knew this about the white house.
    kmgervais(at)nycap(dot)rr(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for sharing that, Karen. I love bringing new history tidbits into the present. :)

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  10. Hi Anita! I've been more curious about the architecture of the White House lately and its different "incarnations," but now I'm even more curious! I've been anxiously awaiting The American Heiress Brides collection since I first read about it months ago.
    Kam110476 at gmail dot com

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    1. Kam, I wonder if it's because of the White House TV shows we're tuning into these days. I never had an inclination to watch "The West Wing" because I'm not into politics, but hubby and I like watching "Madame Secretary" and "Designated Survivor" and it was scenes on those shows that made me realize my idea of the layout was wrong. However, I believe my error could be attributed to other movies which erroneously portrayed the Oval Office as being inside the Residence versus attached to the West Wing.

      About American Heiress, you have the same chance as anyone else in this giveaway so you never know. Thanks for stopping by today. :)

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  11. I've already won a copy of this book, but I am happy to share the post & giveaway via Facebook & Twitter :-)

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    1. Thank you, Trixi! I really appreciate your support. :)

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  12. I think it makes sense that there was a greenhouse as all great houses of that period had to be able to provide food food for the residents. I'm guessing as time went on it transitioned more into the flowers aspect and less the food aspect. It's hard to think that in the early days of the White House, DC was a rough and tumble place still incredibly bogged down in mud from its swamp days.
    katherineDOTlDOTgoodATgmailDOTcom

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    1. Katherine, you have an endearing realistic view of history. Thank you for sharing that. :)

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  13. I lived in Washington D.C. when I was in the 8th grade back in the 1940's and Truman was President. This is a fascinating article and brought back some great memories of the White House just after WWII. D.C. is a beautiful city with a great history. Thanks for sharing the information and the pictures.

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    1. You're very welcome, Martha. I love hearing from people who lived in the places I blog about. It really brings the history of a place alive. Thanks for sharing. :)

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  14. Fantastic post! I love all the photos you share. Thanks, Anita!

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    1. Thank you for telling me, Susie. I appreciate it. :)

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  15. I love this informative post! It's so interesting to think of family life inside the White House.

    texaggs2000 at gmail dot com

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    1. Thanks for dropping in, Britney. Interesting is right. I'm biting my tongue as I hold back from commenting on the present First Family since I only know them from heresay, and will only add that the people who've lived in the beautiful mansion have certainly run the gamut. ;)

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  16. Anita, thank you so much for this fascinating post! The photos are incredible. It's hard for me to not to think about both politics and the family in residence when thinking of the White House.

    psalm103and138 at gmail dot com

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    1. You're welcome, Caryl, and thank you. Sometimes the politics and people are so interwoven it's hard to separate them. Sort of like an actor who's portrayed a certain character with such finesse that he or she is forever branded by the other persona. When I think of FDR, it's always as a politician, whereas I always think of Teddy Roosevelt as an adventurer who happened to live in the White House. Strange, eh.

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  17. Very interesting post and the pictures are fantastic. I have seen the White House and hope someday they will allow small tours of the public areas once again. Thanks for the giveaway.
    bettimace at gmail dot com

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    1. Betti, I hadn't realized they'd stopped the tours, but when you consider everything that's been going on, I can understand the reasoning for security. Yet, I feel the loss to those who missed out. Thanks for sharing with us.

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  18. Love a good history lesson and the pictures were great. Thank you for sharing. Have a blessed day!
    leliamae54(at)aol(dot) com

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  19. And we have a giveaway winner! I converted all entry names to numbers and random.org chose Virginia Winfield!

    Congratulations Virginia. Keep an eye out for an email from me. :)

    Thanks everyone else for entering. Check out the Contests and Giveaways page on my website for more ways to win.

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