White House: The Interiors Part 3 | A Visit to the White House: Full Tour and History of Interiors

[@Benno101able]

Great program great insight with detailed. I believe a second season would be in order and cool to watch!

[@richardbaldwin4928]

Yes a tour of the upper floors would be so great.the top floor is never seen.

[@PresidentialHP]

Noted!

[@Joemondaking]

I second this.

[@PresidentialHP]

See the recent livestream for more info.

[@linkpark3233]

One of the most detailed and informative series I have seen on the White House. Thank you for the in-depth analysis and sharing of the contemporary historical source material. I also request a tour of the upper floors as another commentator requested. That would be an incredible series and one I would be very eager to learn from and enjoy.

[@PresidentialHP]

Duly noted. Thanks for the input!

[@jonathanfox1538]

Cheers to you, and definitely would like to see Season 2, 3, 4 . . .

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks as always.

[@spikeo12]

A wonderful series. More please !!!

[@PresidentialHP]

Join us for the Bonus Program at the start of December!

[@jshonert]

@@PresidentialHP will do kind sir!!!

[@williamsafreed7699]

Keep doing more!

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks!

[@dcsiii78]

Yes please do the upper and lower floors! This is such a wonderfully presented and wonderfully researched series, I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

[@PresidentialHP]

I am thinking about it. Thanks for the praise!

[@purplenights1]

Great Program, perfect for the American History buff.

[@mikequinlan9585]

Thank you so much this was a most fascinating tour of the White House. I vote for a tour of the upper rooms! Cheers! 🥂

[@PresidentialHP]

Noted!

[@johnryskamp2943]

And don't forget that hallway on the second floor and the truly historic window.

[@jshonert]

❤❤❤ you are spectacular! Please please, please do parts four and five! You sound like a great interior designer!

[@PresidentialHP]

I am certainly thinking about it. Thanks for the comment.

[@PresidentialHP]

If only someone would hire me, I could break through as an interior designer like you said! (haha)

[@jocquemorrison9785]

Gorgeous program. Thank you for a look thru history. ❤

[@PresidentialHP]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@chandlerchandelier]

I loved learning about this American history, and I would definitely watch videos showcasing the upper White House floors.

[@PresidentialHP]

Noted!

[@thinktonka]

Nicely done!

[@PresidentialHP]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@coolvinnyb]

Yes please, you have wetted my appetite, and I would love to hear more about the rest of the house.

[@PresidentialHP]

I am thinking about it.

[@jg90049]

RE: those magnificent side boards in the State Dining room, Mrs. Kennedy did the same thing to them, she did to the mantels in the East Room. She had them painted white (and then picked out in gold in the case of the side boards). The damage was undone under Mrs. Clinton.

[@jg90049]

PS: Excellent series. I hope one day you will give us more.

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks. I am thinking about more, although it would be a LOT of work to say the least.

[@wayneyanda]

Very well done. (It inspired me to dig out my White House guide book; 5th edition, 1964.)

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks! Do subscribe!

[@JohnSmith-se9yl]

Keep going! You've done an amazing job of finding great visuals, and gathering information in all 3 parts of this series. I've enjoyed it overall...

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks a ton!

[@PresidentialHP]

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the views! I am currently mulling over a second season, but I can't make any promises at this time. Be sure to watch the bonus program!

[@patriciaemerick8360]

Your dates aren’t great. 15 years between Truman (1952) and Nancy Reagan (1981-88)? Your photos of all the animals TR shot are from his African Safari post presidency (1902-08, not 1912). I love the photos, but the talk leaves me thinking I need to fact-check.

[@patriciaemerick8360]

Also, the John Adams prayer on the mantle in the State Dining room was put there at Jackie Kennedy’s direction.

[@patriciaemerick8360]

Typo: 1901

[@PresidentialHP]

@@patriciaemerick8360 I never said those photos were from before or during his presidency; they were merely used to demonstrate Roosevelt's love of game (especially large animals), which explains his unique decorating taste.

[@PresidentialHP]

@@patriciaemerick8360 When did I say Truman put it there?

[@50Street21]

Your English and attention to detail are undeniably articulate. Thank you for all that you have shared while inspiring us to ponder and also admire. Cheers! Darryl

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks so much. Have you subscribed?

[@50Street21]

@@PresidentialHP Oh yes, I most certainly have subscribed.

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks again!@@50Street21

[@chieffamilygenealogyoffice621]

This is an amazing series!!!!! Can’t wait for part 4!!!!

[@PresidentialHP]

Well, there will be a Bonus Program, but a hypothetical fourth part is possible.

[@PresidentialHP]

Thank you so much! Do watch the Bonus Program, which is the informal fourth part of the series. Please share the link with friends and family!

[@willwilkerson7198]

I have found this series to be very interesting. I believe I would enjoy learning about the upper floors even more so. Please do consider continuing your documentary through the whole house. Great work! 👍

[@PresidentialHP]

I will certainly consider it. Thanks for the compliments!

[@sistermarysusanne7679]

Yes, yes. Keep going with more episodes. Thank you.

[@PresidentialHP]

I am thinking about it, as the workload will be insurmountable.

[@robertkeffer3361]

This is a spectacular series! I've been interested in the White House interiors for many years, and your own research has filled in any gaps in my knowledge. By all means, continue with the upper and lower floors. Thank you again for your excellent work!

[@PresidentialHP]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@henrivanbemmel]

Yes!! Upper floors, basement, east wing, west wing etc. Keep it coming! Thanks for your work. Oh, yes and a long decent video on the Truman Reconstruction!! Thanks!

[@PresidentialHP]

I am thinking about it.

[@henrivanbemmel]

@@PresidentialHP I hope they are good thoughts!

[@PresidentialHP]

Well, it would take A LOT of work, so I have to think carefully about whether I can afford the time and resources.@@henrivanbemmel

[@henrivanbemmel]

@@PresidentialHP I'm quite certain it would! I'm just being selfish. You asked!! Take care and if you did take this on, there is no time crunch as I see it. Thank you for considering it.

[@douglascollier7767]

I have so enjoyed your series on the White House. I doubt I will ever be able to visit. This offering of history is truly a beautiful thing. Thank you. Thank you. 🙏

[@PresidentialHP]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kendalson7100]

I agree that the Teddy Roosevelt renovations were the best. Even the goofy taxidermy in the dining room. He gave the rooms lightness and charm.

[@PresidentialHP]

Yes, he did. Thanks for the comment.

[@brandonj.brockway8281]

I love this series! They're so detailed & informative! I also appreciate your wit & humor, as it makes the videos even more interesting! 😀

[@PresidentialHP]

Glad you like them! Thanks.

[@pjeverly]

You really do have a gift for good story telling as well as your broad knowledge of the many wonderful details of the white house. As the "peoples house", it really is beautiful to see how all those that have lived there over the years have tried their best (in most cases successfully) to further the beauty and preservation of this living symbol of America.

[@PresidentialHP]

Wow, thank you very much!

[@krisinpa8302]

Thank you so much for this wonderful series! I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every frame! Yes, please do more! I'd love to see rooms that were for children who lived in the White House. Would also like to see rooms that were used for staff.

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks again for a wonderful comment! Unfortunately, the number of existing pictures of children's and staff rooms can be counted on one hand. I'd be happy to share them in our upcoming livestream! Check out the "Live" page on my channel for more info. See you there!

[@PresidentialHP]

Make sure to come to the livestream this Saturday! Linked on the Community Page!

[@johnfraley8544]

Yes, more please. White House history has always fascinated me and I love your take on it. Great job!

[@PresidentialHP]

I will certainly think about it (it's a lot of work)!

[@Waitingforthemetro]

This three part series on the history and the interiors of the White House was fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you!

[@PresidentialHP]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@cdsmith1961]

Thank you for presenting this series. Because of your program, I have purchased several editions of The White House An Historic Guide on ebay. My parents had one of the first editions with the forward by Mrs. Kennedy. I visited the White House in 1974 on a school trip. I bought the guide book with the handwritten welcome from Pat Nixon. With new editions, I can enjoy seeing the interiors changing over the decades. Best wishes.

[@PresidentialHP]

The highest compliment I can receive is that I stirred up historical interest in someone. Thank you for letting me know.

[@dandistefano623]

Excellent detail, very much appreciated. Thank you!

[@PresidentialHP]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Laura-i2r9r]

This was an exquisite and extremely well done & detailed history and look at the beautiful White House !! Loved every part of your presentation. Love the history of the Presidency and First Ladies and that includes The White House and its history ❤❤❤😊😊😊👍🏻👍🏻🌺🌸

[@PresidentialHP]

Thank you for the compliments!

[@raymondpeterson952]

great series...thanks so much. Just a PS...I love your take on Mrs Harrison and her planned expansion of the WH...and DUDE...you don't like Jackie K's redecoration? How very un American of you😉. In all seriousness, I have sub'd and look forward to more videos, I like your style!!!

[@PresidentialHP]

You're very welcome!

[@netram28]

According to Lillian Rogers Parks' White House memoir, potted palms were a favorite of First Lady Lou Hoover. It seems likely that some of the photos from the post-Theodore Roosevelt era that show palm trees date to the Hoover years.

[@PresidentialHP]

Yes, although the photos I showed were actually from ~1903, so some were assuredly Roosevelt picks.

[@davidvilmin3457]

Love this entire series!! Thank you for your incredible work and research. We need to get you more publicity and get you your own cable show. It would be wonderful seeing you in citu talking and explaining each piece and setting. I know it would work!

[@PresidentialHP]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. Lobby for it if you can! (haha)

[@dr.debbiewilliams]

I think visiting The White House would be amazing! I didn't get to go into The White House the last time I was in Washington, DC just about 20 years ago.

[@jimalbanyc]

Thank you for a wonderful series. Your research and knowledge of art and architecture is remarkable. Well done. More please?❤

[@PresidentialHP]

Thank you for the compliments! I am thinking about more.

[@phillipmcgough6282]

this has been magnificent. looking forward to the family dining room - but there's so little known about the residence above. food for decoration discussion upstairs, especially the Reagan master bedroom etc

[@PresidentialHP]

Great suggestion!

[@phillipmcgough6282]

@@PresidentialHP thank you. upstairs is so interesting. west sitting hall is cool, but think about where the rooms above the east room have lower ceilings etc. Anyway, i'm too old to fanboy, but there we are. thank you for your research & style

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks!@@phillipmcgough6282

[@jefflawrentz1624]

You did a great job detailing these rooms. The table at 57:14 had winged ‘caryatid’ supports. Angelica (Singleton) Van Buren was the Presidents daughter-in-law instead of Van Buren’s niece. I enjoyed this very much. Thank you!

[@PresidentialHP]

Actually, caryatids replace columns, not just any form of support. So these are just figures.

[@michguy1019]

Side note: Angelica was introduced to Abraham Van Buren III, by the famous Washington matchmaker and former First Lady, Dolley Madison. She is the youngest woman ever to act as the White House hostess, at the age of 20. Her first child was born in the White House.

[@paulalb-n2f]

this is the most enjoyable video/tour ive seen so far. your narration is clever informative fascinating, ii love to listen to you. ill be watching your videos regularly from now on. just wonderful! And i think you sound like Dick Cavet. which is another good thing. Thanks!

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks -- that's very kind. Let's hope I get a show like Dick Cavett some day! Please do subscribe and share the link with friends!

[@ConnollyCorbin]

yes please!! more seasons! these videos are amazing and so detailed!

[@PresidentialHP]

Thank you for the comment. Be sure to watch the bonus Program, which is out!

[@reginaclark1816]

Jackie's blue room reminds me of a cheap birthday cake!

[@PresidentialHP]

Right on point.

[@colbyholt9052]

Yes, please do another season. Really enjoyed this one! Appreciate going into such great detail.

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks for the comment! I am currently mulling it over since it will take a long time. Do join us to the new architectural series starting next year and the upcoming premiere of the Bonus Program!

[@commonsense246]

Jackie blew it. I loved the deep blue federalist wall covering! To each their own.

[@PresidentialHP]

I'm not a fan of the Kennedy changes either. Thanks for watching! Please do subscribe and share the documentary on social media!

[@patmoritz5213]

Great job! We’re you ever able to see the cost of the re-decorating. Just curious. 👍🏼

[@PresidentialHP]

Sometimes. You'll hear more about it in the Bonus Program...

[@henrivanbemmel]

Excellent! I've really enjoyed this series! 1. There should a long, detailed, properly researched video of the Truman WH Reconstruction starting with the noticing of defects. I can't get enough of it. I looked at almost all of Abby Rowe's images of this remarkable time on line at the HST museum. 2. I liked Jackie's Red Room, but not the blue. 3. There is a 1963 YT video of what appears to be the upper floors. Some of it frankly looks tacky. Perhaps her efforts were mostly on the 1st floor. 4. Most of TR's finishes are reasonably nice, I agree, but we should remember that his renovations did A LOT of damage to the structure of the WH due to his pressing of the workers over schedule etc. They damaged main supporting beams to run through HVAC ducting. Notched floor beams to run electric and plumbing. It's amazing that the WH didn't burn down afterward due to the electrical short cuts. 5. With the WH now part of the NPS hopefully such abuses will no longer happen. 6. Hopefully ... by now ... they gotten rid of all the WH rats. I was in DC one day and after getting off the VRE at Union Station we walked out and were looking at the Capitol building when a rat nonchalantly came out of a nearby garbage can and skittered away. Enough to make me want to get back on the train! Thanks for your work

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks for the thanks!

[@henrivanbemmel]

@@PresidentialHP You are welcome.

[@Joemondaking]

Is there anyway you could do this for the second floor? I’m sure it’s not as public, personally I haven’t seen anything on it

[@PresidentialHP]

I could, and am thinking about it. It would take a LOT of work, and I don't know if I have the resources to invest in it.

[@netram28]

In the 1880s women wore bustles rather than hoop skirts. The "women's chairs" of the Arthur refurnishing would have accommodated the great gathering of skirts that were draped over their bustles. There are also "bustle chairs" that have only one arm, making it easier to sit (and get up again) with a wire contraption hanging off your backside.

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks for educating us! Have you subscribed?

[@CatskillsGrrl]

The TR period is just 👌

[@PresidentialHP]

So true.

[@CatskillsGrrl]

@@PresidentialHP that red room shot in some ways it feels modern in its sensibilities. Bold contrast, deep colors and un-fussy.

[@PresidentialHP]

That is the modern consensus.@@CatskillsGrrl

[@susiefisch]

One question: was it Teddy Roosevelt or his wife (the First Lady) that made the decorative changes? It seems it was other First Ladies who had the decorating ideas.

[@PresidentialHP]

Roosevelt himself was deeply involved.

[@bobolpatrick3789]

Bonjour c'est très intéressant de voir la décoration de la maison blanche à travers les modes et l'histoire. Vous avez raison raison ,le fauteuil est plus large pour permettre aux femmes en robes crinoline de s'asseoir

[@PresidentialHP]

Merci pour le commentaire! C'est agréable de savoir que je traverse l'océan !

[@Cathleen7259]

Jeanne do you know how they covered the walls in a silk fabric in the White House and not used staple guns? I don’t think that they did or it wouldn’t look so smooth on the walls amazing! I would love ❤️ to meet my sister with seeing you both again soon

[@PresidentialHP]

Staple guns were invented in the twentieth century. Usually, silk hangings would be stretched taught in a frame and then that frame was hung on the wall. Sometimes the cornice and dado could act as these frames, and often did. Staple guns are used for cheap types of construction, and would have easily ruined the expensive silks that the presidents, Gilded Age barons, and the European Aristocracy paid so much for in the first place.

[@richardbaldwin4928]

The white house changes as the time changes .my two heros of the white house are teddy and jackie!

[@PresidentialHP]

Thanks for the comment!

[@johnryskamp2943]

There are recessed ceiling lights in the second floor corridor. Tacky!!

[@paulalb-n2f]

the room is much brighter- and "muddled" as you say. the flowers on the mantel should be deep reds, purple reds. well, as is they look like matrimony is about to happen, or a funeral. TR had it just right.

[@PresidentialHP]

TR was just the best, no?

[@allanmoore4353]

Ive always been disappointed that that marvelous chandelier put in the Blue Room during the Teddy Roosevelt renovation wasn't restored to that room when it was put back together during the Truman rebuilding. It was a gorgeous fixture.

[@PresidentialHP]

I agree with you. Although, one wonders how well a Louis XVI chandelier would have fit in with the new Empire scheme...

[@jshonert]

❤ there are exposed lightbulbs in the nyc new Amsterdam theater sconces, and I was told because electricity was new. They wanted to show it off.

[@PresidentialHP]

Exactly right! The idea of lampshades only became amazingly popular among people who (A) were not interested in showing off and (B) came after the era in which electricity was the shiny, new trend.

[@jonathanfox1538]

8:00 PM. Is that Eastern? Central?

[@PresidentialHP]

6:00 PST

[@drewgayle8325]

you should do it all . Half way is no way . Then do St. Paul's in Rome . You could do that one for life , and have your children finish it for you .

[@PresidentialHP]

Haha. I think you mean St. Peter's Basilica.

[@henrivanbemmel]

I believe the presentation of the clock to the Truman's was done by the French ambassador to the US not the French President.

[@PresidentialHP]

According to the White House Historical Association, "President Vincent Auriol of France gifted this clock to President and Mrs. Truman to commemorate the completion of the Executive Mansion renovation. It was accompanied by an English carved and gilded overmantel glass gifted by King George VI of the United Kingdom. The clock was placed in the Red Room and the glass was installed in the State Dining Room."

[@YoutubeCrittic]

At the moment it's the worlds most expensive nursing home.

[@PresidentialHP]

Well, actually the White House has played that role a lot; Presidents Garfield, Wilson, and others used it for that purpose when convalescing.

[@YoutubeCrittic]

@@PresidentialHP :So you do agree then.

[@PresidentialHP]

No. This is an apolitical channel.@@KZbinCrittic

[@YoutubeCrittic]

@@PresidentialHP 🤣

[@jrgnc1]

Don't care for Jackie's changes.

[@PresidentialHP]

A lot don't. Thanks for leaving a comment!

[@johnryskamp2943]

Truman insisted they number every board so it could be put back exactly where it had been. However, the workers had no patience with this and just reinstalled them where convenient. Truman: FDR's biggest mistake.

[@PresidentialHP]

The comments about decoration are welcome, but political thoughts are not. Please edit your statement to reflect our apolitical rule.

[@johnryskamp2943]

There's a pair of vases given to Hayes by China, and they are in his house. They should be in the Lincoln bedroom.

[@PresidentialHP]

And....?

[@leeatterberry1239]

Finally something else to watch instead of all this OJ Simpson crap

[@PresidentialHP]

I'm so glad you're enjoying the series! Be sure to watch the related blooper reel and Bonus Program as well!

[@PresidentialHP]

Make sure to come to the livestream this Saturday! Linked on the Community Page!

[@dancingbear1776]

Wouldn't that be a Tiffany Blue, JFKs favorite color

[@PresidentialHP]

It's possible.

[@Oldhip1912]

What happened to the painting of John F Kennedy? I believe my uncle painted it?

[@PresidentialHP]

Entrance Hall.

[@cdsmith1961]

I did not know there was/is a second JFK painting in the mansion. The lesser known shows the President's face. I like both paintings.@@PresidentialHP

[@PresidentialHP]

No, I meant the Shikler one.@@cdsmith1961

[@georgiesinclair6951]

Seriously you have never seen a black marble fireplace?

[@PresidentialHP]

Nope!

[@johnryskamp2943]

By the way, fauteuil is pronounced Foe toy

[@PresidentialHP]

That's how I pronounced it.

[@johnryskamp2943]

I don't think so! Listen again.

[@PresidentialHP]

I think I know my own voice. Pedants are never very pleasant, evidently.@@johnryskamp2943

[@johnryskamp2943]

Nothing on the president's dining room, which is now used as a store room????

[@PresidentialHP]

The Family Dining Room will be featured in the Bonus Program, as I said in Part III. It is only used as a storage room when china and glasses are being moved in and out during state dinners.

[@johnryskamp2943]

That's kind of recent. I think Jackie had period wallpaper installed in it. I think it's also the room where Alice Roosevelt had her appendix out. Ridiculous that it's used as a butler's pantry. They should turn it into a sitting room.

[@PresidentialHP]

It is not recent. There are pictures of the Family Dining Room going back to the nineteenth century showing it exclusively as a dining room. You are thinking of the President's Dining Room, on the second floor.@@johnryskamp2943

[@Eli-pj8xm]

I find it odd that the presenter uses the word "regal" many times when it describing items in the White House that he likes. The White House first and foremost is not a palace, and by choice and by design the United States is not a monarchy. More appropriate adjectives could have been used.

[@PresidentialHP]

Many presidents bought objects specifically because they evoked the grandeur of European monarchies. Thus, "regal" is an accurate way to describe said objets d'art.

[@Eli-pj8xm]

@@PresidentialHP that is highly subjective and as said many times during the series, the Presidents were not interested in regal objects, they just want them to work and not look too worn. In fact they sold old ones and toss what they don't like. "Regal" is disrespectful to American sensibilities, particularly for a channel about Presidents, an institution that is designed to be an antithesis to a monarchy. "Presidential" or "dignified" would have been appropriate.

[@PresidentialHP]

With all due respect, you are dead wrong. Presidents Monroe, Grant, and Arthur specifically bought objects that were made by royally-sponsored artisans such as Pierre Antoine Bellangé, Louis Moinet, and Paul Storr.

[@henrivanbemmel]

Ok ... why is the bust of President van Buren wearing a toga?

[@PresidentialHP]

Depictions of Western leaders in Greco-Roman attire are extremely common throughout the centuries; it implies the leader is well-qualified to take the place of our ancient ancestors. It also implies a sense of gravitas and greatness, often associated with the wonders of Antiquity. It also represents the values of Ancient Greece and Rome, democracy, and Western philosophy.

[@henrivanbemmel]

@@PresidentialHP Fascinating. Indeed, but this must have been discontinued a long time ago. For example, I have not yet seen such an image of Lincoln so adorned.

[@PresidentialHP]

There are many such depictions of Lincoln (and Washington too).@@henrivanbemmel

[@bobrewer202]

I don’t know if he is eating or drinking, but it is poor form for a narrator. We don’t want to hear you swallowing, smacking your lips and other mouth noises.,

[@PresidentialHP]

I actually wasn't eating or drinking the whole time! Thanks for the comment.