Edith Rooselvents

We all know about Teddy Roosevelt. His wife, however, was a revolutionary in her own right. She changed the white house for the first time in nearly a century by creating the now infamous west wing. At the time Edith was frustrated by the fact that she lives in a quote "Store" because where they lived was also where governmental business was handled. She believed this was highly unhealthy and inefficient for not only her husband but her family as a whole. So she began construction of the west wing. It would serve as the working residence of the president and his cabinet. In order to build this she demolished the old greenhouses in order to build a new building. Edith not only was crucial in the design of the architecture of this new west wing. She also served as the designer. She drew the first blueprints and worked with architects in order to design this new gallery. She also remodeled the white house. greatly expanded the dining room to seat 120 guests. she designed the white house decor to model the European styles of the time. This reflected the art and style at the time and this massive remodeling and expansion of the white house could also be seen as the new found power given to the federal government during this sturring age of imperialism.