6. The Map Room, located on the Residence’s ground floor, is used for small social gatherings and television interviews.
The name comes from the room’s original use. During World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt used the room to consult maps to track the war’s progress — a task later presidents migrated to the Situation Room. Maps were organized by hemisphere, region, and theater of operation, according to the FDR Library.
One notable map hanging on the walls pays homage to the Roosevelt era: a map of Europe showing the most Germany’s positions in the spring of 1945, shortly after Roosevelt’s death.
7. The White House China Room sits near the Map Room on the Residence’s ground floor. The China Room was designated by first lady Edith Wilson in 1917 to house the White House’s growing collection of state china, according to the White House Museum.
Nearly every president is represented in the china room, located on the ground floor of the Residence. You can see examples of state china dating back to George Washington’s presidency here.
8. Adjacent to the China Room is the Vermeil Room, which houses a collection of gilded silver tableware. It was converted from a general social room in 1956 when the silver pieces were bequeathed to the White House by American heiress Margaret Thompson Biddle.
The room is decorated with portraits of several first ladies.
9. Just a few doors down from the Chocolate Shop and the Bowling Alley, the Flower Shop is where the White House florist purchases flowers in bulk and prepares them for official occasions like state functions and inaugurations, as well as decoration around the building.
10. Located on the second floor of the White House’s East Wing, the Graphics and Calligraphy Office is where the small team of White House calligraphers prepares invitations, place cards, and greetings for formal events.
