The Oval Office is the formal office of the US President, located in the West Wing of the White House. It has an oval shape, a bay window overlooking the Rose Garden, and doors leading to other rooms. The President uses it for important discussions and to entertain visitors. The Resolute Desk is a popular feature, and the Seal of the President is on the ceiling.
The Oval Office is the formal office of the President of the United States and many Presidents have also used it as a working space. Because the Oval Office is so intimately related to the President, the term is sometimes used to refer to the presidential administration; a newscast, for example, may refer to an “Oval Office decision” when in reality it means a decision by the President. Many people are familiar with the Oval Office, as it serves as the backdrop for many presidential addresses to the nation.
As the name suggests, the Oval Office is, in fact, oval in shape. It is located in the southeast corner of the West Wing of the White House, the official residence and workplace of the president. Just outside the Oval Office is the Rose Garden, another popular venue for speech and entertainment that dates back to 1913. The Oval Office has actually moved to several different locations; the current site was established in 1934.
A large bay window flanks one side of the Oval Office, filling the office with light and overlooking the elegant Rose Garden. One of the office doors leads to the garden, while three other doors lead to the private office of the president, the secretariat and the main corridor of the west wing. The Oval Office also has a large fireplace and, traditionally, incoming Presidents decorate the Oval Office as desired.
Some decorations don’t change. The Seal of the President, for example, can be found on the ceiling of the Oval Office. The floor is also rarely changed, with Presidents only replacing it when it shows severe wear. Most of the presidents also keep the Resolute Desk, a desk presented to the United States by Queen Victoria in 1880. The desk is made from the timbers of HMS Resolute, a British ship that was abandoned and later returned to the United Kingdom as a gesture of goodwill. When the ship was broken up, the Queen ordered a desk from her beams as a gift to President Hayes.
The President of the United States frequently entertains visitors in the Oval Office and serves as the symbolic seat of power where bills are signed, treaties are negotiated, and other serious discussions take place. In the Oval Office many Presidents have been photographed, together with their families and pets, together with foreign dignitaries and important political and social figures.
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