The State Dining Room, which now seats as many as 140 guests, was originally much smaller and served at various times as a drawing room, office, and Cabinet Room. Not until the Andrew Jackson administration was it called the "State Dining Room," although it had been used for formal dinners by previous Presidents.
As the nation grew, so did the invitation list to official functions at the White House. After the renovation of 1902 by architects McKim, Mead & White, the room size was enlarged after the main stairway from the west end of the Cross Hall was removed. The two Italian marble mantels installed by Monroe were moved to the Red and Green Rooms; a single larger fireplace was constructed on the west wall. The architecture of the room was modeled after that of neoclassical English houses of the late 18th century. Below a new ceiling and a cornice of white plaster, natural oak wall paneling with Corinthian pilasters and a delicately carved frieze were installed. Three console tables with eagle supports, made by the A. H. Davenport Co. of Boston, were placed against the walls, and a silver-plate chandelier and complementing wall sconces were added.
In this picture the mahogany dining table, surrounded by Queen Anne-style chairs, displays part of Monroe's gilt service purchased from France in 1817. The ornamental bronze-dore pieces are used today as table decorations for state dinners. The plateau centerpiece, with seven mirrored sections, measures 13 feet 6 inches in length when fully extended. Standing bacchantes holding wreaths for tiny bowls or candles border the plateau. Three fruit baskets, supported by female figures, may be used to hold flowers. The two rococo-revival candelabra date from the Hayes Administration. The carpet, of soft green and brown, reproduces a Persian design from the 17th century.
Carved into the mantel below George P. A. Healy's portrait of President Lincoln is an inscription from a letter written by John Adams on his second night in the White House:
I pray Heaven to Bestow the Best of Blessings on THIS HOUSE and on All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but honest and Wise Men ever rule this roof.
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The State Dining Room | The White House
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose in the State Dining Room of the White House before the The State Dining Room has been used for meetings
State Dining Room - White House Museum
The President's Dining Room. The State Dining Room, which now seats as many as 140 guests, was originally much smaller and served at various times as a drawing room
State Dining Room - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The State Dining Room is the larger of two dining rooms on the State Floor of the White House,
Décor & Art: Rooms | The White House
State Dining Room. Ground Floor. Ground Floor Corridor. a private ceremony was held in the White House that day with the official ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on
The White House State Dining Room
Museum of Natural History >> Hall of Virtual Places >> White House >> State Dining Room: Welcome to the State Dining Room Text and photo from by:
The State Dining Room - Welcome To The White House
Welcome to the State Dining Room. of President Lincoln is an inscription from a letter written by John Adams on his second night in the White House:
Welcome to the State Dining Room
The State Dining Room. Welcome to the State Dining Lincoln is an inscription from a letter written by John Adams on his second night in the White House:
The State Dining Room - WHITEHOUSE.ORG - Welcome to the ...
White House Information: For Kids Only! Welcome to The State Dining Room. Click to Enlarge: The State Dining Room,
Bucks woman helps holiday decorating at the White House ...
From the East Room to the State Dining Room, Burke, of Coleen Christian Burke of Bucks County puts up decorations in the East Room at the White House.
State Dining Room - White House Museum
The State Dining Room, circa 1996 (Clinton Library) (White House Historical Association) A state dinner in 1985, looking northwest (Reagan Library)
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