Jackie Kennedy renovates the White House

Summary

Podcast Summary: Witness History

Episode: Jackie Kennedy renovates the White House
Host: Jane Wilkinson (BBC World Service)
Date: July 6, 2026
Duration: 9 minutes

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Episode Overview

This engaging episode transports listeners to 1962, stepping inside the White House during one of its most significant transformations. Guided by archival interviews with Jackie Kennedy and those around her, the episode explores the ambitious and groundbreaking restoration campaign she launched as First Lady. The narrative offers insight into her vision, challenges, and legacy while showcasing memorable moments from the historic televised tour that captivated America.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Jackie Kennedy’s First Impressions and Motivation

• Initial disappointment: Jackie Kennedy recounts her underwhelming childhood visit to the White House in 1941, calling it privately a "dreary Maison Blanche" ([01:11]).
• Restoration vision: Upon becoming First Lady, Jackie is dismayed by the state of the White House, finding its furniture mismatched, worn, and lacking historical significance.
  • Quote (Jackie Kennedy, 02:24):
    “It just seemed to me such a shame when we came here to find hardly anything of the past in the house... I thought the White House should be like that [full of history].”

2. Launching the Restoration Project

• Not simple redecorating: Jackie explains her aim is not just to redecorate but to restore the White House to reflect its historical heritage ([02:45]).
• Financial hurdles: She quickly exhausts the official $50,000 budget on the family quarters, knowing more public money could be controversial.
• Turning to philanthropy: Jackie uses private networks, recruiting prominent donors like Henry Dupont, and forms the White House Fine Arts Committee to guide and fund the project through donations ([03:09]).

3. Restoring American History Room by Room

• Searching for history: The team scours storerooms and tracks down antiques previously auctioned or discarded. Jackie actively participates, even helping unload trucks ([04:32]).
  • Quote (Jackie Kennedy, 04:45):
    “We found the pier table in the carpenter shop where it was being used as a sort of. And we recognized it from old engravings. We took six weeks to restore it and put it back.”
• Memorable discoveries:
  • Retrieving the historic Resolute Desk, a gift from Queen Victoria, and placing it in the Oval Office ([06:04]).
  • Uncovering a bust of Washington in the men’s room.
  • Noting items once belonging to previous presidents, such as President Van Buren’s chest.

4. The Televised White House Tour (CBS, February 1962)

• Historic broadcast: Jackie, dressed in a notable dark red suit and pearls, leads reporter Charles Collingwood (CBS) through the newly restored rooms ([05:02]).
• Showcasing treasures: She highlights personal favorites—antique furniture, artwork, and artifacts unique to past presidents ([05:21]).
  • Quote (Jackie Kennedy, 05:40):
    “I pray heaven to bestow the Best of blessings on this house and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.” (Citing John Adams)
• National reception: The broadcast becomes a sensation, drawing 56 million viewers and earning Jackie an honorary Emmy ([07:37]).

5. President Kennedy’s Endorsement

• JFK’s remarks: At the tour’s conclusion, President Kennedy publicly praises Jackie’s efforts ([07:18]).
  • Quote (John F. Kennedy, 07:18):
    “I consider our history to be a source of strength to us here in the White House and to all the American people. And that’s why I’m glad that Jackie is making the effort she’s making.”

6. Securing the Legacy

• New policy for treasures: Jackie ensures all donated or acquired items become part of a permanent White House collection, protected by law, and, if displaced, transferred to the Smithsonian ([08:30]).
  • Quote (Jackie Kennedy, 08:30):
    “...a law was passed last spring whereby everything that’s given to or bought by the White House becomes part of its permanent collection.”
• Establishing the White House Historical Association: Founded in 1961 to fund future restorations and educate the public, using proceeds from their official guidebook ([08:53]).

7. Memorable and Emotional Moments

• Personal touch: Jackie’s hands-on approach—helping with restorations, personally evaluating every artifact.
• Poignant finale: The podcast reminds listeners how soon tragedy struck, with President Kennedy’s assassination. Despite this, Jackie’s changes endure as her lasting legacy ([07:54]).

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:02] – Jackie Kennedy on the importance of the White House setting.
• [01:59] – Bernard Boutin on the poor condition of the White House before restoration.
• [02:24] – Jackie Kennedy discusses the lack of history in the White House.
• [03:09] – Jackie outlines her approach to securing top-quality, historically appropriate items.
• [04:13-04:45] – Jackie details the process of acquiring and restoring items.
• [05:02-05:40] – Highlights of the televised White House tour; discussion of key artifacts.
• [06:04] – Discovery and placement of the Resolute Desk.
• [07:18] – President Kennedy endorses Jackie’s project during the tour.
• [07:37] – Public reception and cultural impact of the TV special.
• [08:30] – Legal changes ensuring the permanence of restored items and the establishment of the White House Historical Association ([08:53]).

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Notable Quotes & Attributions

• Jackie Kennedy [02:24]:
  “It just seemed to me such a shame when we came here to find hardly anything of the past in the house... I thought the White House should be like that.”
• Bernard Boutin [01:59]:
  “When Jackie walked in and saw the condition of the White House, she was aghast. It was ill kept, it was dirty, the furniture was ragged...”
• Jackie Kennedy [04:45]:
  “We found the pier table in the carpenter shop... We took six weeks to restore it and put it back.”
• Jackie Kennedy [05:40]:
  “I pray heaven to bestow the Best of blessings on this house and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.” (Citing John Adams)
• John F. Kennedy [07:18]:
  “I consider our history to be a source of strength to us here in the White House and to all the American people. And that’s why I’m glad that Jackie is making the effort she’s making.”
• Jackie Kennedy [08:30]:
  “…a law was passed last spring whereby everything that’s given to or bought by the White House becomes part of its permanent collection.”

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Conclusion

This episode offers a concise yet vivid look into Jackie Kennedy’s determination to restore the White House’s historical dignity, blending eyewitness commentary, audio from the iconic 1962 TV tour, and reflective narrative. Jackie’s blend of vision, resourcefulness, and meticulous care set a new standard for the preservation of American heritage—a legacy that remains at the heart of the White House to this day.

Transcript

[John F. Kennedy]

Foreign.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Hello and welcome to Witness History from the BBC World Service with me, Jane Wilkinson. If you've heard us before, feel free to skip on a few seconds, but if you haven't, then thanks for dropping by. We're the podcast that brings history to life in just nine minutes through the eyes of one key witness and lots of truly amazing news archive. So if you enjoy it, please subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts. And now I'm taking you back to 1962 for a tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. better known as the White House. And acting as our guide will be one of America's most famous first ladies.

[Charles Collingwood]

For the next hour, Mrs. John F. Kennedy invites you to visit the President's house and see some of the restorations she's made in its interior.

[Jackie Kennedy]

It's so important, the setting in which the Presidency's presented to the world to foreign visitors, and American people should be proud of it.

[Jane Wilkinson]

The unmistakable breathy voice of Jackie Kennedy, the woman credited with restoring the White House, talking to correspondent Charles Collingwood on a CBS TV special. Jackie had first visited the house as a child in 1941 and wasn't much impressed. That dreary Maison Blanche she called it privately. Then, almost 20 years later, the man she married became President.

[Narrator]

John F. Kennedy settles into Office as the 35th President of the United States, the youngest man and the first Roman Catholic ever elected to the office.

[Jane Wilkinson]

But while the Kennedys were seen as a breath of fresh air in Washington, the White House hadn't much changed. Bernard Boutin worked on JFK's election campaign in 1960.

[Bernard Boutin]

When Jackie walked in and saw the condition of the White House, she was aghast. It was ill kept, it was dirty, the furniture was ragged, you know, had been abused for generations and generations and generations.

[Jane Wilkinson]

In Jackie's eyes, the fading curtains, mismatched furniture and bland reproductions were more suited to a second rate hotel than the home of the President.

[Jackie Kennedy]

It just seemed to me such a shame when we came here to find hardly anything of the past in the house. Hardly anything before 1902. I know when we went to Colombia, the Presidential palace there has all the history of that country in it. Every piece of furniture in it has some link with the past. I thought the White House should be like that.

[Jane Wilkinson]

So in February 1961, Jackie announced her plan. Not to redecorate, but to restore the 132 room mansion to reflect its history and heritage.

[Jackie Kennedy]

I just think that everything in the White House should be the best, she said, adding, and if it's an American company that you can help. I like to do that if it's not just as long as it's the best.

[Jane Wilkinson]

But there was a problem. Money. New arrivals to the White House were given a $50,000 alteration budget. Within two weeks, Jackie had spent it on the family quarters. Using public funds for the rest of the house would have been politically controversial. So she opened her contacts book and found Henry Dupont, a multimillionaire and collector of American art. Along with restoration experts, they formed the White House Fine Arts Committee.

[Jackie Kennedy]

Everything we do is subject to approval by the committee.

[Narrator]

What's your budget?

[Charles Collingwood]

Where does it come from?

[Jackie Kennedy]

It's small because everything we do is by private donation.

[Jane Wilkinson]

But first, the group had to find furniture fit for a mansion. Originally built in the late 18th century, much of the old furnishings were in storage, while some antiques had been sold at auction and others carted away by previous presidential families. Using her considerable charm, Jackie appealed for contributions, furniture, and funds. It worked.

[Jackie Kennedy]

Since our work started, we received hundreds of letters every day. This is where we evaluate all the fines, see if we want to keep them, if they fit into our budget. And every time we find an object we want, then we have to go and search for a donor. It's very slow, and that way, a lot of things that we would like to get slip away from us.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Despite the obstacles, long forgotten treasures were soon being pulled from storage rooms. And Jackie, in jeans, in a jumper, often helped unload donations from delivery trucks.

[Charles Collingwood]

Have you made any good finds lately?

[Jackie Kennedy]

When we first came here and started searching, we found the pier table in the carpenter shop where it was being used as a sort of. And we recognized it from old engravings. We took six weeks to restore it and put it back. And then in the men's room downstairs, we found that bust of Washington.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Finally, On Valentine's Day, 1962, Jackie was ready to invite the cameras inside for what CBS described as the greatest sightseeing tour in history. Dressed in a dark red suit and pearl necklace, she guided Charles Collingwood through the staterooms, pointing out particular treasures.

[Jackie Kennedy]

This chest is rather interesting. As you know, the thing we care about most is something that belonged to a past president. This little chest was left by President Van Buren to his grandson and Mrs. Kennedy.

[Charles Collingwood]

On that fireplace, there's an inscription which I found. One of the most moving things in the White House.

[Jackie Kennedy]

Yes, that's from the very first letter that was ever written from the White House. It was written by John Adams, the first president to live here in 1800. It says, I pray heaven to bestow the Best of blessings on this house and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.

[Jane Wilkinson]

But perhaps the most significant discovery was hidden under a green cloth in the mansion's broadcast room, the Resolute desk, a gift to President Rutherford Hayes from Queen Victoria in 1880. Jackie had it dusted off and moved straight to the Oval Office.

[Charles Collingwood]

All sorts of detective work have gone into finding these pieces and identifying them.

[Jackie Kennedy]

I know these two chairs are an example of that. We found one so battered, all the stuffing coming out, but we just thought it looked of the Lincoln period, so we dragged it home and we.

[Jane Wilkinson]

And as the project progressed, there was so much restoration work, a room had to be set aside for repairs.

[Jackie Kennedy]

It used to be the kitchen years and years ago. Now we have an upholstery shop here where we do all our furniture restoring and upholstering. It's much quicker and more practical. So exciting to see things grow every day.

[Jane Wilkinson]

So, room by room, Jackie came nearer to her goal of making the most perfect house in the United States. And at the end of the tour, one of its residents made a special appearance.

[Charles Collingwood]

Mr. President, Mrs. Kennedy has been showing us about the White House. What do you think of the changes that she's made?

[John F. Kennedy]

Well, I consider our history to be a source of strength to us here in the White House and to all the American people. And that's why I'm glad that Jackie is making the effort she's making. And I know that those who come after us will continue to try to make this the center of the. And a sense of American historical life.

[Jane Wilkinson]

The TV tour was a huge hit, attracting a record US audience of 56 million viewers and earning the first lady an Honorary Emmy from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. But after less than three years in Washington, tragedy engulfed the Kennedys.

[Narrator]

From a high window rings out the shot that changes American history. Both the President and Governor Connally are hitting. At the hospital, there is a desperate but hopeless fight to save the President's life. But that life ebbs out. The doctors afterwards say there never was a chance.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Following her husband's assassination, Jackie and her children left the White House. But as she'd explained in the documentary a year earlier, she'd made sure her restoration efforts and acquisitions would survive.

[Charles Collingwood]

What happens when the next President's wife comes into the White House? Some of the things that are in

[Jackie Kennedy]

this room, well, if they don't want it in the past, you see, they could sell it, throw it out, do anything with it. They wanted. But then a law was passed last spring whereby everything that's given to or bought by the White House becomes part of its permanent collection. If a future first family doesn't want it, it goes to the Smithsonian where it will be taken care of and displayed.

[Jane Wilkinson]

And in future, there would also be a renovation budget. In 1961, Jackie set up the White House Historical association, which publishes an official guidebook of the building. All proceeds go towards restoration and education.

[Charles Collingwood]

Then thank you, Mrs. Kennedy, for showing us this wonderful house in which you live and all of the wonderful things that you're bringing to it.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Witness History was produced and presented by me, Jane Wilkinson, using archive from a tour of the White House by CBS News. And if you want more presidential stories, why not listen to I took the famous photo of JFK and his son, the man who Shot jfk and Meet the Chef to five Presidents. Then tell your friends and remember, hit subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Thanks loads and bye for now.