Talk:Roosevelt Room

Nixon 1969 Renaming to Roosevelt Room

This central conference room... was named by Richard Nixon in 1969 to honor the contributions of two major builders of the West Wing, Theodore Roosevelt who started it and Franklin D. Roosevelt who enlarged it to its present size.

— The White House: An Historic Guide (2021)

...the room was renamed by President Richard Nixon in 1969 to honor the contributions of Theodore Roosevelt in erecting the West Wing and of Franklin D. Roosevelt in enlarging the Wing to its present size.

— Office of the Curator, Second Presidential Lecture - State Floor 5/6/90 [OA 6898] [1] source=The Roosevelt Room

I have seen this sentiment represented by various reliable sources (the former being from WH Historical Association and the latter being from the WH Office of the Curator) but I am not so certain it is correct. If you look the actual White House announcement, it specifically only mentions Theodore Roosevelt: "The room… will in the future be referred to as the Roosevelt Room. The West Wing was added during the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt." In this memo (Curator's Office - Memos (2), p. 40), Clem Conger (then-Curator of the White House) claims to Mrs. Ford that “...we get constant criticism in the Roosevelt Room because almost everything depicts Theodore Roosevelt and only the small bronze wall placque is Franklin D. Roosevelt. We were about to change this at the end of the last [Nixon] administration but did not.” This sentiment seems to be echoed in this TIME article: "Across the hall in the Roosevelt Room, so named by Nixon to commemorate the two Roosevelt cousins who were Presidents, there is a flare of partisanship, but it is about the only one close to the center of things. There are seven pictures, busts and prints of Theodore Roosevelt, the Republican, and one modest plaque of Franklin Roosevelt, the Democrat."

JeremyNguyenGCI (talk) 01:00, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Here's another source that claims it was originally intended to be only for Theodore Roosevelt ( The Nixon White House Redecoration and Acquisition Program: An Illustrated History, By Patrick Phillips-Schroc, page 54):

Another major West Wing room that received a new look from the GSA was what was formerly known as the Fish Room." Just across a narrow hallway from the Oval Office, this room had served many purposes since its creation in 1934 by FDRs architect, Eric Gugler. President Nixon specifically asked for the new name of "Roosevelt Room" in honor ofT heodore, his favorite former chief executive. Nixon was anxious to secure a good portrait of Roosevelt as a focal point, and after some difficulties he obtained the use of a painting byP hilip de Laszlo (1910).

I believe it to be reliable because it is sold by the Nixon library (https://store.nixonfoundation.org/products/the-nixon-white-house-redecoration-and-acquisition-program) JeremyNguyenGCI (talk) 05:49, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Portraits

"Even before President Nixon's formal naming of the Roosevelt Room a tradition existed of Democratic administrations hanging Alfred Jonniaux's portrait of FDR over the mantel with Teddy Roosevelt's equestrian portrait by Tade Styka titled "Rough Rider" hung on the south wall. Republican administrations would, in turn, hang Teddy Roosevelt's painting above the mantel and move FDR's portrait to the south wall."

This is all demonstrably wrong. Please see the numerous photos.[1] --Tysto (talk) 17:37, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

15 years late, but yes, this is still in the article and not at all supported by sources. Before the AV cabinet there was a regular cabinet at the opposite wall, so there never was a space to hang the other painting there. Theres photos from multiple Democratic presidents with the Teddy painting over the mantle. — jonas (talk) 23:15, 6 July 2024 (UTC)

Also late, but I am fairly certain this is not true. FDR's portrait by Jonniaux is dated 1958 (i.e. during the Truman admin.) by the Smithsonian (https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_L78.126.1) and from The Roosevelt Room section in The White House: An Historic Guide:

"This windowless interior was created in leftover space in Franklin Roosevelt's 1934 remodeling. For many years the extra space was adapted to different purposes. President Roosevelt denoted it the "Fish Room" for his fishing trophies, and at one point he set up a tropical fish aquarium. Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and John Kennedy disliked this name. Eisenhower refused to use it, usually calling the space "that room over there." Kennedy, to give the room a better "fish" qualification, hung a mounted marlin he had caught in Acapulco on his honeymoon… Richard Nixon dropped the unloved name Fish Room and adopted "Roosevelt Room," taking a personal interest in illustrating the new name... The transformation, using portraits and memorabilia of the two Roosevelt presidents, gave new life to the room..."

(in addition to the pictures) seems to show me it was just the Fish Room before being the Roosevelt Room. Perhaps they were conflating it with it containing Theodore Roosevelt's original Family Dining Room table of 1890 during JFK's admin. but not sure. JeremyNguyenGCI (talk) 06:23, 12 May 2025 (UTC)

In regards to Alfred Jonniaux's portrait of FDR, (National Archives MO 1977.15), I am now fairly certain the timeline is wrong. The historical note says: "After its completion, the portrait hung in the office of the... March of Dimes.) Following O'Connor's death, his widow, Hazel Dillmeier, donated the portrait to the [FDR] Presidential Library and Museum in 1976," which is at the beginning of the Carter admin. (i.e. well after Nixon's renaming). JeremyNguyenGCI (talk) 19:44, 12 May 2025 (UTC)

removed tags

I added some sections to this page, I think it breaks it up quite a bit better, hope no one minds. I removed the sections and lead-to-long tag because i inserted the sections. --Millertime246 (talk) 03:52, 23 February 2012 (UTC)