Why is the Oval Office oval in shape?
You must have heard of Oval Office, the prestigious working space of the US President. But have you ever wondered, if it is indeed oval in shape? If the answer is yes, why is it so? To find the answers, let us take you through the history of Oval Office, sitting in the West Wing of White House, the residence of the president.
Oval office and its egg shape
Turns out, the Oval Office is indeed oval. To be more specific, it resembles the shape of an egg. To dig out the inspiration behind this unique shape, turn your clock back to the 1791 Philadelphia.
At the time, George Washington (the first US President) was in office. However, back then, the White House did not exist. Instead, he served from a house in Philadelphia which was like his Executive Mansion. When this building was still under construction, Washington ordered that the straight rear walls of the house’s two main rooms be built into a semi-circular or bow shape. But instead of a bow shape, the final look turned out to be more like an oval. The president intended to use this room as a space for formal receptions and came to be known as the “Levee.” It was meant to allow all prominent members of the American society to meet formally with the president. The ritual was for the guests to assemble in an oval, after greeting the president with bows near the fireplace at one end of the room. Thereafter, the president would walk around the oval interacting with his guests and sharing memories and other pleasantries. In fact, Washington believed it was a symbolic way and space to commemorate the newly-created office of US Presidency.
Bonus fact: Levee was a royal tradition borrowed from the English court.
Experts also believe that George Washington’s obsession with a semi-circular office is derived from his own Revolutionary War Tent. It served as the marquee or the office as well as the sleeping quarters and the command centre of his army, ahead of the American War of Independence. The tent, based in Reading, Pennsylvania, from 1778 to 1783, was not only the witness to the dramatic moments from the war, but was also a safe space for Washington and his army, for it survived and acted as a shield against enemy forces. As you can understand, the shape of the tent was semi-circular, and it was a nostalgic and proud connect for the President.
Modern-day Oval Office
When the third US President took office in 1801, he did away with the formal ritual and shape associated with the Levee and replaced it with a simple and formal handshake (minus the monarchical feeling) at the newly-constructed White House’s Blue Room. It was one of the three state parlours on the first floor of the White House. Interestingly, its distinct oval shape was retained by Jefferson as a form of Presidential legacy, but he called it the Yellow Oval Room.
However, when the 27th US President William H. Taft took office in 1909, he ordered expansion of the West Wing of the White House. He also ensured that his official office alongside a private library was included in the process, and the oval shaped remained. It came to be known as the Taft Oval Office. However, over time, as the shape stuck around and it became the heart of international politics, it came to be defined by it and hence got its name, the Oval Office.
Today’s Oval Office: A bird’s eye view
At present, the Oval Office has three large south-facing windows behind the President’s desk and a fireplace at the north end. There are four doors, the one in the east opens to the Rose Garden, while the one in the west leads to the dining room and the private study. The door at the northwest opens into the main corridor of the West Wing and is mostly used by the visitors, while the one at the northeast leads directly to the office of the President’s Secretary.
Each President prefers to decorate the Oval Office as per their own taste, from furniture to drapery and the carpet. The artworks are usually commissioned from the White House’s own collection.