Mrs. Roosevelt's Sense of Home
- Debra Scala Giokas
- Aug 1
- 4 min read
Eight days after President William McKinley was shot on September 14, 1901 at the Pan American Exposition in upstate New York, Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as the 32nd President of the United States. And on September 23, 1901, President Roosevelt moved into the White House, and his family arrived two days later.
That’s when things really started to change.
Like any mother does when moving into a new home, Edith Roosevelt checked out the rooms. She had to figure out where her large family would sleep. They had six children. (Five were biological and Alice was from Theodore's previous marriage.)
Edith was used to her home at Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, Long Island. It had 13 bedrooms for the children and guests and staff. To her surprise, her husband’s office was located next to the living room on the second floor. How could they enjoy themselves with guests conducting business right next to them? She exclaimed to Theodore, “This is like living on top of a store!”
Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, Long Island Entrance Hall Dining Room North Room Drawing Room (Edith's private sitting room and library) Parlor Room (Edith's desk and more books)
The Roosevelts lived in Sagamore Hill, a large home on Oyster Bay, Long Island. It became known as the “Summer White House.” People still visit. photo credit: Debra Scala Giokas |
The other problem was the lack of space. No president ever had six children before. She took out her sketch book. Then she drew out plans to make the White House look like a comfortable home with a separate office for the President. She wanted it to look like the original 18th century Federalist style and be an historical showcase for the country, too.
Edith hired a prestigious architecture firm in New York by the name of McKim, Mead, and White. She also worked with her cousin, Edith Wharton, an author and designer who became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her novel, The Age of Innocence.
The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts Edith Wharton's library A poster of Edith Wharton at the Mount that greets visitors upon entering the home
Edith Wharton helped her cousin, Edith Roosevelt, with the White House designs. Among her many published works include a book entitled, The Decoration of Houses. Wharton designed her country house in Lenox, Massachusetts. The estate, declared an historic landmark in 1971, is located in The Berkshires and is open to the public. photo credit: Debra Scala Giokas |
Impressed with Edith’s plans, Congress approved the money needed to renovate the White House. Edith worked with the architects and the decorators. She was great with money and knew how to stay on a budget. She also had a keen sense of design. She approved all the house’s fabrics, furniture, and paint colors.
Edith hired the White House’s first Social Secretary, Isabelle Hagner, to help her keep track. And this is what she did.
The Office of the President (now the West Wing) was separated from the family living quarters on the second floor.
She rid the White House of its old-fashioned Victorian look. She threw away the velvet sofas, carpets, and lampshades with fringes. She redecorated the Green Room, Blue Room, and East Room with antiques, including the gorgeous Bohemian glass chandelier in the East Room.
When future presidents and first ladies would move out of the White House, they would take all of their paintings, furniture, and decorations. Edith would not have that anymore. What was in the White House was to stay in the White House. It belonged to the people.
Edith ordered fancy china for 120 people for their new Dining Room. Then it dawned on her. What happened to all of the other china? She spent years locating the plates and cups and saucers and found them from 25 previous administrations. That collection is now housed in the White House China Room.
She also didn’t want the first ladies to be forgotten like the china. She realized that history had overlooked them. Edith collected their portraits and had the architects renovate the basement into a hallway where the portraits could be displayed for visitors to gaze into their faces, including hers. This became the First Ladies’ Portrait Gallery.
Edith made the White House into a home for her family, an office for her husband, and an historical showcase for the country. With her great sense of style and class, she revealed the new White House to the public at a reception on New Year’s Day in 1903.
Once settled in, Edith continued to mother, manage the household finances, and read great works of literature, including her favorite Shakespeare. She also was an avid needleworker and could crochet, knit, sew, embroider and cross-stitch.
A Personal Note
On a visit to Sagamore Hill on July 4, 2026, I met a couple, Larry and Julia Marple, who impersonate the Roosevelts. What a thrill it was to speak to them while in character.
Julia followed up with a note, "Needlework was so much a part of who Edith was....she was raised to believe that one can best serve God by serving others and she did much of that through her needlework. Bully!"
A lifelong knitter, Edith was President of the local chapter of the Needlework Guild, a charity that provided garments for the poor through such organizations as the American Red Cross.
