Why the Oval Office is an oval

It's Oval time.
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Sources:
Great starting point: www.whitehousehistory.org/
Hate to admit using a non-primary source, but I found this site useful as a sort of building Wikipedia: www.designingbuildings.co.uk/...
That NYT article where the Oval Office first shows up: timesmachine.nytimes.com/time...
Interesting article about architecture in Charleston around Hoban's time: www.jstor.org/stable/3514385

[@thelorax9622]

Hey, Phil. It seems obvious from here in Australia - in an oval office, you can't be backed into a corner :) Thanks for the videos 😀

[@cakenbacon6177]

same with a circle office

[@simonmcdaniell39]

took an Australian to point out the obvious! love it

[@damiank2568]

And no hiding in the corner

[@guardrailbiter]

Well, that certainly comports with the notion that politicians are always trying to weasel their way out of something. 👍

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@cakenbacon6177 Yes, although an oval is a better shape for how the room is used, as you get more space for the press and individuals meeting with the President for the actual square footage of the room. The President sits roughly in the center of one of the long sides, which gives the people meeting with him a large amount of space. You could do that with a circle, but it would be a larger circle and the people at the back would be farther away. I do think that not having corners does make it a bit harder for people to hide things in the corners, though, as you've got more smooth walls that can be quickly monitored for spy gear. (Admittedly, the rooms were built before that was a concern, so probably a happy accident)

[@oatydonoghue]

Woah...I can't believe you were able to get into the actual Oval Office!

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

Yeah, influencer cred!

[@philsophkenny]

😮

[@shahdeen-en5qn]

​@@PhilEdwardsIncunbelievable

[@seanbrynda2961]

Wow Phil, it looks like your right there in the Oval Office! Your studio set ups are getting more elaborate and I really enjoy them as your channel keeps adding more videos.

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

This video is basically a Marvel movie.

[@seanbrynda2961]

@@PhilEdwardsInc I'm just imaging that this leads to an Avengers style collab with Johnny Harris and Cleo Abram. Also, I finally finished my Costa Rica video! Feel free to check it out on my channel! I'd love to get your input on it.

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

@@seanbrynda2961 on my list!

[@jk-gb4et]

@@seanbrynda2961 it is a nice video

[@howlinhobbit]

instead of the Marvel Universe kind I’d rather see the John Steed and Emma Peel kind. but maybe that’s just me.

[@jsmith3728]

As a Canadian I feel obligated to mention that one time we burned the White House down 😎. Keep up the great content!

[@guspolly]

@quang bach Yeah but the Canadians were still British at that time

[@JustinVodden]

@quang bach you are technically correct, the best kind of correct.

[@dashiellgillingham4579]

Y’all are the superior military power. You even demonstrated it by accident in the 40’s, when our forces bumped into each other in the Aleutians and y’all managed a 100+ to nothing in casualties before we realized there were no invaders on the island.

[@techfreak329]

As an American, I am obligated to correct you, as it was the British that burned down the white house, as the troops were British and Canada didn't effectively exist yet. Though, I am willing to consider the right of Canadians to claim they burned down the white house as British subjects, if you admit Canada is not an independent nation and instead a British territory.

[@exafrost]

(coughs) twice...

[@joecesa1013]

I think you missed a piece of history even older referencing why the executive mansion had an oval office. In the beginning Philadelphia was the nation's capitol. While Washington DC was under construction, George Washington had residence in a mansion owned by (I think William) Morris which was near the corner of 6th and Market (High) Streets, and rented to the new US Government. An oval bowed window was added in the back of the mansion that overlooked the entire seats of government: Supreme Court, Independence Hall (for congress and senate), and the state house of Pennsylvania, and city hall. When visitors greeted Washington, behind him was the entire structure of a democratic nation. There's some controversy about this all, due to believe it or not a cover of slavery (which is so long even to summarize I could make my own video if I had enough talent or intellect). About 25 years ago when plans were formulating to construct a new structure to hold the Liberty Bell a ruckus broke out in Philly that forced "the powers to be" to do an archeological dig at the corner of ^th and Market to look for the remains of the original executive mansion--and underground slave quarters connecting to the mansion. They uncovered the foundation of the mansion and slave quarters (which you practically step on to enter the new Liberty Bell Pavilion. And they discovered a foundation for the oval bayed addition. When the DC executive mansion was built so was this feature. BTW: easily overlooked, there is a marker designating that Washington's slaves (brought to a free Philadelphia) slept, worked practically at the Bell's entrance, which proclaims "liberty". Philadelphia's historians won out, but to prevent visitor's uncomfortable reality (which they warned would happen without a dig and more research) the marking is easily missed. And next to the entrance is the unearthed foundations of the mansion and a presentation of the history of Washington's slaves, colonial laws of slavery at the time, and the mansion. Maybe more research at the Library Company of Philadelphia can uncover more details and history of the house, Oval Office, etc. Thanks for another interesting entertaining episode.

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

Thank you for sharing! I had run into the stuff about the previous President’s Home but none of that interesting stuff you added.

[@Samtember]

Sounds like you absolutely have enough talent and intellect to make your own video

[@Gilamath.]

Can confirm, have walked by that marker many times, and did not notice the first time. Or the second

[@davidjgill4902]

That's Robert Morris. During the Revolution he was the richest man in America and he personally funded the then down and out Continental Army during that grim winter at Valley Forge. He was chief of finance for the Continental Congress during the Revolution and was thus Washington's first pick to be Secretary of the Treasury but Morris declined the offer and recommended Hamilton for the job.

[@jurjenbos228]

There's one reason I miss here: audio. All the sound from one focal point in the oval will be clearly audible in the other focal point. That way, you can stand relatively far apart while understanding each other. This must be at least a bit of the reason.

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

Yeah, the “whispering gallery”. Probably spoiled somewhat by cluttering up the space with a lot of furniture and other _bric-à-brac_ .

[@derrickstorm6976]

It's a slightly larger than an average room, how is hearing each other 15 feet apart going to be a difficulty?

[@mr.urbanism]

Never clicked on a video faster! Continue with the good work Phil! You should do a video Camp David or other places the presidents go

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

Ooohhhh I hadn’t thought of that!

[@ApolloApplications]

@@PhilEdwardsInc The architectural history of Camp David and the other presidential retreats is really fascinating - definitely enough for a topic!

[@Smothtiger]

These past videos has exuded lots of charisma. Has made it fun to watch but also get stronger connection to remember the facts.

[@longiusaescius2537]

Nice p3 pfp

[@philiphockenbury6563]

I agree, this series is a wonderful watch so far. And I can’t wait to know more.

[@troyhongsermeier9462]

Why, with all the Greco Roman trappings about the Mall, is Washington's monument an Egyptian obelisk? I understand that a pyramid was also considered. I could easily have imagined a column in the fashion of Trajan with episodes of the War for Independence in an ascending spiral relief.

[@zackd519]

I was about to suggest this as a video topic as well! The Washington Monument has a fascinating history fraught with multiple design changes, pauses, interruptions, and other quirks. I'd love to see a full video on it and complete the inaugural DC trifecta of the "Why Are Things The Way They Are" series.

[@Oldmanplum]

Egypt was an important part of the Greek and later Greco-Roman world. We often think of them as distinct but they were tied together for centuries with a fair amount of cross cultural influence. You can find Egyptian obelisks in Rome itself

[@1106gary]

I often wonder how anyone was supposed to see the all stuff on Trajan's column.

[@VAM_Physics_and_Engineering]

I appreciate the continuous improvement of your basement... may you never figure out "what type of ikea dinning set defines your channel" Keep it up Phil!

[@yorktown99]

I realized that you missed a small bit of the history of the Oval Office: it was a late addition, tacked onto the West Wing. The West Wing itself was built because Teddy Roosevelt (our youngest ever President) had too many young children and needed to expand the residential apartments in the White House. The President's office was more centrally located in its earlier floorplans, similar to where the Blue Room is in the White House itself (Teddy had it where the Roosevelt Room currently is, and it wasn't oval!). During a redesign/expansion under Franklin Roosevelt, the Oval Office was reconstructed in the current corner location, partly to accommodate FDR's wheelchair access through the colonnade & rose garden. This also as the unexpected (yet welcome) effect of giving the President a separate exit that bypasses the busy internal hallways of the West Wing.

[@arenomusic]

One of the best vlog channels I've ever seen, love your ability to make seemingly mundane things so informative and entertaining!

[@triciac.5078]

Ok I never knew the Oval Office was over there. For some reason, I always thought it was that round area on the main building.

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

(I had no idea before this video either. Don’t tell anybody.)

[@triciac.5078]

@@PhilEdwardsInc (whew! I thought it was like a well known fact and I was just out there. I mean, once you pointed it out, it made total sense. I just never really thought about it. It’s not like I plan on visiting any time soon, so I hadn’t really thought about it.)

[@thorgnyr]

Every video you make is a pleasant view, funny, charismatic and informative. Keep up the good work!

[@DredlyLB]

Anyone else see these videos and go "You know... I never once even gave a crap about it... but now I badly want to know"? Great videos!

[@JWRogersPS]

There is a third oval room in the White House Residence. The Diplomatic Reception Room is on the ground floor directly beneath the Blue Room. The Blue Room was originally called the Elliptical Saloon until it was first decorated in blue under Martin Van Buren. The Yellow Room was first called that after Jacquie Kennedy redecorated it in 1961.

[@MartyFox]

The decision to keep the White House as the executive residence - rather than moving the President to, say, the current Vice President’s mansion or another residence on a DC military base and converting the original White House to a museum - may have been a mistake. The White House has since become this highly secure installation in the middle of the downtown area of a major city (even more so than the Capitol), which is something major cities are not designed to have. Even Washington.

[@Blckjack18]

I don’t think so. It would make the White House some old manor like we have a lot of in Germany. But the best ones re those still lived and worked in. The Bundestag is meeting again in the old building which got renovated from the ground up, but it is one of the most beautiful and inspiring places in Berlin.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

What?

[@Samtember]

That's so interesting, I never even considered the idea of turning it into a museum. I guess because it's so iconic and synonymous with the presidency

[@Salsmachev]

The problem is that politicians often live or die by their perceived legitimacy. Symbols like the whitehouse are a big part of that.

[@Alconium]

@@Samtember If it was turned into a Museum, then 100 years from now whatever Mansion replaced it would have people calling for that to become a museum and so on. While I can appreciate the idea that it f's up downtown DC and it's got so much history that should be seen not secured, President's gotta live somewhere and the White House as you said is an absolute Icon. No point moving away from it.

[@someone-dj1vy]

Hey Phil, love your videos. Every time I watch them, it feels like I’m watching a channel with a few million subs, keep it up!

[@juancampbell269]

I've been watching your content on Vox for years and it's so cool to see you publishing work on your own. Love the content you're creating right now

[@chaunceybrochu9953]

These videos put all the questions I had when I was a kid to rest. Keep up the good work my friend!

[@squado_6119]

A very cool yet normal video in these crazy times. Thanks for that - and for the funk music :D. Keep it up!

[@adithbongu9105]

Man this was so good. I legit love such videos so trivial yet so intriguing and captivating.

[@imogend7974]

I actually just flipping love this channel!! The humour just hits😂

[@danefarmer1549]

Love your videos Phil. You really make such great, informative, and interesting videos, I appreciate you.

[@ryanbusillo1039]

Phil i am absolutely loving these videos. keep up the great work

[@chocoblocka]

Loving the funk music, thanks for another great video!

[@jamesbridges6792]

Love your videos Phil! I love sharing these incredibly detailed fun facts with my friends.

[@zaidkidwai7831]

Your videos never fail to amaze me. Great stuff

[@CK_5]

He’s really throwing us these great videos and fast

[@finnpalmer23]

Love your videos! Keep up the good work! Always a wonderful addition to my day!

[@DamonMcLean1]

Hey Phil! Loved the music and the video!

[@_thomas1031]

Love your video style, Mate😄🙌 Both humorous and informative👌

[@aphaits]

Loving the funky music. Feels like you are explaining a big bank heist to the oval office. Italian job & ocean's eleven vibes.

[@RoxYgen03]

Always such strange and intriguing topics. I love this channel.

[@clievah]

Phil, I think your channel is the first one I've come across where I enjoy all of your content, but see that it impartially chases viral results. You deserve easily a million hits on each video. Cheers from Boston.

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

hah thanks! cheers!

[@Hiyaaydi]

You make every topic so interesting

[@jossypoo]

Amazing to be taken from "unsatisfying answer" because it seems to ignore complex nuance. But then to deliver us confidently to the knowledge that 'because we used to do that' is truly the most accurate response.

[@moduleheadindependentcreat8158]

Didn't know I needed to know this 🙂. Great work man

[@timlecount8690]

Thanks for a great video Phil!

[@S.P.Rocket]

Thank You & keep up the good work. We love your style. Aloha from Hawai'i.

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

aloha!

[@schlegs86]

totally dug the music, well done Phil.

[@andybaldman]

Good to see you with your own channel. You’re a good creator.

[@vatesedgar]

Love your work, Phil.

[@ZuperZocker]

You need the little flag pin to go full presidential 😉

[@willychilton]

Phil your studio looks SICK AF!!! dag yo

[@rmalacari]

I like it when someone explains why the thing is a thing, keep up the good work.

[@cgc7078]

Loving your new channel. An idea for future; a video on the desks of the president. We all know of the Resolute Desk, but what about the others you showed in this video.

[@WDCallahan]

Oh... This is why the thing is a thing! I thought it was going to be why the thing is a shape. I was hoping you would do a triangle next.

[@surfacingcom]

Shoulda taken a trip to the Jimmy Carter Library in ATL, you could have filmed from inside a replica. :)

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

I found that during this and wished I had. Also, KZbin used to have studios like the oval office! But they canned em.

[@fr279]

Great video! Love the topic, waiting the next in the series "why the thing is a thing" hahahaha

[@bennettfoley3018]

great video! i'll be brainstorming ideas for 'why the thing is that thing' for a while..

[@judithannem1340]

phil.... looks like you had too much fun with this one! chortle!

[@randomations11]

You should do a collab with Stewart Hicks. Y'all do great vids about architecture, a d you already look like brothers. :) Thanks for another great vid

[@HarjaapSingh]

Completely agree!! I recently saw.his video on indoor cities and it was mindblowing 😲

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

He also makes me nostalgic for Chicago (where I lived a long time).

[@StaticPA]

agree!

[@London755]

Ok, normally the call for engagement shenanigans annoy the hell out of me, but for you, I smashed that like button.

[@Skittenmeow]

"Trendy and Elite" but still meaningful. Thanks Phil, that's a nice style aesthetic

[@michaelsimons1489]

I’m loving these

[@timmallette1888]

Excited for more shapes

[@davidjgill4902]

A little more: The bow window in the President's House in Philadelphia was not an oval room, it was just a room with a rounded end and was thus referred to as the D-shaped room. The bow window addition to the house was undertaken by Washington who had a keen interest in building things and remodeling homes. Mount Vernon is his masterpiece and in many ways his life's work. He probably gave as much time and attention to creating the Mansion at Mount Vernon as he did to birthing a nation. Washington was up on the latest fashions in home design and decorating. It was all about cultivating his identity as a gentleman of rank and distinction. Anyway, when he reviewed the designs submitted to the competition for the President's House to be built in Washington City he didn't like any of them. So he summoned James Hoban and asked him to submit a scheme but also instructed Hoban on what he wanted in the design and the oval reception room was one of the key ideas Washington dictated to Hoban. He almost certainly met with Hoban at the President's House in Philadelphia. Another key contribution of Washington to the design of the White House was the design of the East Room which finds its precedent in the "New Room" at Mount Vernon.

[@keithkooistra3670]

Idea for Why a Thing is a Thing: the Tappan Zee Bridge is rumored to be 13.1 miles north of New York City because 13.0 miles is the limit of jurisdiction of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

[@rzdexyz]

your color grade looks dope btw

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

flattery will get you everywhere

[@tapio_m6861]

Because it would be weird to call a regular rectangle room ”Oval Office”

[@wienerdust1120]

I thought it was an oval because the way sound reverberates, it allows the person in the center to hear everything being said from anyone in the room.

[@FunnyAnimatoFilms]

I've always thought the most impractical thing about the oval office is that you can't place furniture flush against the wall. I don't wanna have to pull the table out to fish important papers out from behind it, the president of India is on the phone Jerry!

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

Kramer runs in. "There's something about the Feng Shui in here that's a little..." (waves hand in air)

[@sebastianvasquez3214]

Hey! Love your videos. Great job! Just an observation with love, your conclusions seem a little bit rushed, other than that, keep up the great work.

[@waseemh3863]

Has anyone every told you... That you make excellent content

[@HarjaapSingh]

Love the backdrop 😂

[@kits8276]

can't get enough of the music choice in these videos

[@ASP4wesome]

I just thought they were too 'square' for being a well 'rounded' government.

[@sablepillow7514]

Loved this video so good

[@immeremma]

Love the why the thing is a thing series.

[@adambraly2481]

This is my faovirte video of yours! 😏 Keep ‘em coming!

[@eric81766]

I believe the proper sign-off is "toodles."

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

Next time.

[@MrBaskins2010]

like how you brought that full circle. avoiding the obvious pun here

[@NazarKalinyuk]

Why the Catholic Church is it's own country (The whole papacy, the Vatican, etc.)

[@1106gary]

Because Italy stopped letting the Pope rule part of Italy

[@Fatluvin420]

I low key would love you to do a huge deep dive into every bit of construction of the White House from the first iteration to current day

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

The White House Historical Association definitely has enough material to support that obsession.

[@glennk.7348]

Wow! Never knew they hollowed out the entire white house like that! Fascinating!!

[@AlexR2648]

In Canada, the Governor General and Lieutenant-Governors still hold levees every New Year's Day with nary an oval to be found.

[@Mark-Hall]

One of the most underrated channels on youtube.....

[@dragonlordskater5028]

I like the funk music! It really lives up to the name, so funky!

[@hunterdawson7718]

They always told us in grade school that the oval office was shaped like an oval in order to prevent assassins from hiding in the corners. It never made much sense to me but I do wonder if there's any credence to that claim.

[@Firjiwater]

I definitely thought it was going to be a clear echo and/or the open space making things hard to hide

[@justinblin]

If it ever gets to the point that an assassin manages to get inside the Oval Office with the president, something has gone so wrong that the design of the room really wouldn’t matter

[@yay4this]

In the last video I watched you pretended like you had no budget for a prop.. but here you are with a big prop..

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

This background isn't just a prop. It's a new vision for my future.

[@cooblin3607]

How are all your videos so damn INTERESTING!

[@pedrozatravel]

I have been to the white house, it is a very interesting space. I think the blue and yellow room were oval because they really liked the dome concept.

[@joshnizzle]

Random White house fact: George Washington was not the first person to live in the house and in fact never did. The first to live there was John Adams.

[@Ghost456t]

This series definitely has potential with its name. Why is the Seattle Space Needle a Needle? Why is the Reflecting Pool reflective? ... Why are circle glasses Phil's glasses circular??? 👀

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

I BEG YOU DON'T SUMMON CIRCLE GLASSES PHIL TO THIS PLANE ONCE AGAIN!

[@Ghost456t]

@Phil Edwards Don't know if you saw the new Spider-Man... but I think Doctor Strange may have done that already, unfortunately. "Things just got out of hand," after all. Ooh, comic book history: Why is Dr. Strange Strange? Idk, these titles are fun to brainstorm, though.

[@tinnagigja3723]

Why is the Washington Monument an obelisk?

[@lakecityransom]

I always thought this thing was in the 2nd floor of the main house somehow. Lots of media (TV, movies, games...) will do a zoom into some stock footage and then show the oval office. It reminds me there was a TV show called "The West Wing". Well, now that makes sense.

[@matthewlarson4513]

Oh, man- if you’re ever in the KC area, you must check out the Truman library. There’s a whole room about the renovation in the 50s. It’s pretty cool.

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

I will!

[@WalterBurton]

The key is that Washington wanted his actual working office to be transparent, but to also have some clear attachment to the traditions (and, frankly, practices) of a royal court. He saw the "levee" as an essential elevation of American protocol, and he imagined an ideal space to do business and entertain diplomats toward this end. He was ahead of his time.

[@Swellnesss]

Love the content! Calling attention to the music made it difficult for me to focus afterward, thought at might be useful feedback. Break up the good work!

[@joeshrestha7649]

hey Phil great work. I would love watch your view on on going war RU/UKRN through your view point consisting of history and art. have a great day.

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

I am curious about the history of NATO now (about which I am very ignorant).

[@TedExTheGreat]

I must say i love the funky music

[@567secret]

My favourite series: "Why Shape (proper noun) is a shape"

[@colemanbar1]

The thing about Washington's levees is so cool. Is there any connection there with King Arthur's round table as a feeling of "democratic conversation" via a shape ?? Loved the funky vibe of this video.

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

That’s a good question - I couldn’t find anything but it makes some sense. I don’t know how in vogue that was with the Enlightenment crowd.

[@kuyshina]

The funk music was a jam!

[@Ram_Bri]

I like this guy. That outro is funny.

[@aristidisarmoundas6785]

You should do “why the Washington monument is an obelisk.” I don’t know why, but it’s probably interesting

[@critical_always]

When my dad was president he told me that it's oval because it dampens voices everywhere in the room except in the two focal points where voices were amplified, and that is where his desk was.

[@yorktown99]

Ideas for "Why the Thing is a Thing": The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center The Intracoastal Waterway The Chicago River (runs backwards) The UN Security Council (versus the General Assembly) Freeways (as in major highways normally "free" of tolls or traffic signals) Indian Reservations (reserved exactly from what) Oranges (color vs fruit)

[@Arkelk2010]

Chicago River, and related drainage, would make a great topic.

[@ianc8266]

The evil laugh at the end was a curious choice. I'm not sure continuity is THAT sinister!