White House Sketches
Theodore Roosevelt's Temporary White House
June 29, 1902
Townsend House on Lafayette Square, where President Theodore Roosevelt lived during the 1902 renovation of the White House. Special Collections and University Archives, The Gelman Library, The George Washington University.
In 1902, architect Charles McKim directed a complete renovation of the White House that doubled the space allocated to the family living quarters, provided a new wing for the president and his staff, and a new area on the east for receiving guests. During the construction work, the president and his executive office staff moved into the Townsend House (736 Jackson Place) on Lafayette Square that became the temporary White House. Washington's Lafayette Square in this period was an elite neighborhood with a storied past and considered one of the most prominent addresses in the city.