Map Room (White House)

The room was originally finished as part of the extensive renovation of the White House designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White in the administration of Theodore Roosevelt; the former basement billiard room was made into a formal space.

During the Kennedy administration, the room was used by the newly created Curator of the White House as an office, used to catalog donations of furniture and objects.

Under the leadership of First Lady Pat Nixon, working with Curator Clement Conger, the room underwent a major redecoration in 1970, transforming it from an office to the parlor which remains today.

[1] The Map Room is furnished in the style of English cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale and includes two stuffed-back armchairs that may have been built by Philadelphia cabinetmaker Thomas Affleck.

Today the room is used for television interviews, small teas, and social gatherings.

Map Room, circa 1943
The Map Room looking southwest during the administration of Bill Clinton
White House ground floor showing location of the Map Room