The White House Historical Association Kennedy Rose Garden Exhibition

The White House Historical Association has the privilege of announcing the opening of a new exhibit, The Kennedy Rose Garden: Traditionally American, which explores President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 vision for a new garden adjacent to the Oval Office. The exhibit is free and open to the public July 16 – September 12, 2015; Monday – Saturday from 10 a.m – 3 p.m.

The Rose Garden was designed by Mrs. Rachel Lambert Mellon, and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy personally thanked her by creating a “memory book” chronicling the transformation of the garden. This private album was presented to Mrs. Mellon in 1966. It is presented to the public in its entirety for the first time in the exhibit.

Visitors to the exhibit will be able to digitally turn the pages of the large book, viewing the photos, plant clippings, personal notes, and select video footage of President Kennedy in the completed garden. A re-creation of the steps the president personally selected for the garden is included in the exhibit as well.

“Bringing to life the historic stories and spaces of the White House is the distinct privilege of the White House Historical Association,” said Stewart McLaurin, the Association’s president. “This exhibit will allow the public to appreciate the careful thought and design that went into the Rose Garden by President and Mrs. Kennedy, as well as the larger role the garden has played as a private space for first families and a public setting for many diplomatic and ceremonial events.”

Also included in the exhibit are personal letters between landscape architect Perry H. Wheeler, Mrs. Kennedy, and others discussing the items needed to create the “memory book” for Mrs. Mellon. A bench, identical to those in use in the Rose Garden, is also on view.

Since its creation as a period-appropriate “colonial garden” by First Lady Edith Roosevelt in 1902, the West Garden, the precursor to the Rose Garden, has been seen as a standout garden among the beautiful and lush gardens and grounds that comprise the 86-acre White House grounds. First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson inspired more formal plantings in the garden in 1913.

President Kennedy’s transformation of the garden has proven to stand the test of time and has become an iconic backdrop for the nine presidents who have continued to use the space as he envisioned, as a garden that is “traditionally American.”

White House History Journal: President Kennedy’s Rose Garden

Just released, the latest issue of the Association’s awarding winning publication features new scholarship and articles on President Kennedy’s Rose Garden and other related White House articles. It is available for purchase in the Association’s retail stores or online shop.