Obama in the House

I could blog about January 20, 2009, a day that will go down in history as the 44th President of the United States of America, the first of African-American heritage, takes his oath and begins his journey of change, hope, and promise. I could blog about the benediction given by Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery during which he humorously called for the day “when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead man and when white would embrace what is right.” I could blog about the not-so-tearful goodbye as the Obamas and the Bidens and the thousands gathered in D.C. waved farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Bush aboard Air Force One for the last time. I could blog about George Bush Sr.'s Gorbachev-inspired fur hat. But that's already been done. And, besides, most of us were either glued to CNN for the afternoon or we'll catch the highlights and videos posted on you tube this evening.

What I'm wondering, now that it's all over, now that Rick Warren has prayed for the country, now that Obama has promised to uphold the constitution, now that the parade confetti has settled, what is it like to move into the White House? Or actually, what is it like to be moved into the White House by 93 White House staff members, each with explicit instructions and a detailed plan to be carried out. In less than five hours today, the Bushes will be evicted and the Obamas' moving van will be emptied - to the point that the Obamas will walk in from the parade to see their family pictures on the walls, the girls' stuffed animals on the beds, their favorite books on the shelves.

What is that like? To move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with 55,000 square feet and its six stories, 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, five full-time chefs, a tennis court, a (single-lane) bowling alley, a movie theater, a jogging track, a swimming pool, and a putting green.

Do the Obamas sleep in the same bedroom that the Bushes did? The same bed? If I were Barack I'd picture Lincoln reading by candlelight in that room rather than Bush playing with his G.I. Joes. Or perhaps he'll think of John Adams, the first president to inhabit the White House in 1800 when he blessed the home with this prayer: "I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this House, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof." Yes, I believe Barack is truly home.

After a little White House research, I was disappointed to learn that the building as it stands now contains virtually nothing of the original structure(s). The original White House, along with much of Washington, was devastatingly burned in the War of 1812 by the British. The exterior walls survived the fire but were too weakened to keep. Except for portions of the south wall, the White House was completely reconstructed in 1817. James Madison took residence and added the north and south portico, or, if you're not Italian, you would call it a fancy porch with pillars. It wasn't until 1901 when Roosevelt took residence that the West Wing and the Oval Office were built. In the 1930s, a second story was added and the Oval Office was moved to its present location.

Decades of poor maintenance and additions of more stories weakened the structure to the point that it was deemed in danger of collapse in 1948, forcing Harry Truman to move across the street to the Blair house for a few years while the entire edifice was gutted and reinforced with steel beams. Central air conditioning, two basements and a bomb shelter (that must have been comforting to the American people!) were also added before Truman moved back in 1952. While Truman's reconstuction saved the foundation of the building, the interior rooms were refurbished with little historic value. The original plasterwork and elegant paneling was too damaged to use.

Jackie O' to the rescue! In 1961, a woman of undeniable fashion and exquisite taste took residence in the White House and commissioned an interior decorator from Paris to redecorate many of the rooms. Historic themes were created: the Federal style for the Green Room, French Empire for the Blue Room, American Empire for the Red Room, Louis XVI for the Yellow Oval Room, and Victorian for the president's study, renamed the Treaty Room. Antique furniture and historic artifacts were both commissioned and donated for the redecoration effort, making the Kennedy facelift the one that brought history and authenticity back to the White House. Would we have expected anything less from America's royalty?

The White House today is virtually the same architecturally as it was since the Truman reconstruction, but every president and first lady since has put their own special touch on their private living quarters. Rosalyn Carter set up office in the West Wing, the first official "Office of the First Lady." Pat Nixon's efforts brought over 600 artifacts to the White House (making it worthy of the 5,000 tourists that would roam the halls every day) while President Nixon saw to it that a bowling alley was constructed. The Clintons refurbished the Oval Office and the Bushes redecorated the Lincoln Bedroom and the theater. I can't wait to see what the Obamas will do.

Over two million people attended today's inauguration - the most in history - but inaugurations of the past were certainly well attended. It used to be customary for the new president to hold an open house following the swearing in ceremony. Those open houses sometimes became rowdy - in 1829, President Andrew Jackson had to leave for a hotel when roughly 20,000 citizens celebrated his inauguration inside the White House. His aides ultimately had to lure the mob outside with washtubs filled with orange juice and whiskey. I think this qualifies as the White House's first kegger.

The White House was open to the public for touring for many years until September 11, 2001. So while ordinary citizens like me may never ascend the Grand Staircase, see Lincoln's amaranth purple rimmed china in the China Room or stand beneath a steel magnolia planted by Andrew Jackson on the north lawn, I can imagine the Obamas in their new home and I wish them well.