The editors at This Old House helped make Blair House, the presidential guest house in Washington, D.C., festive for Christmas. Check out the clever, low-cost ideas they used to create a holiday with a little history.
In 1859, Francis Preston Blair built a house next door to his own for his daughter Elizabeth Blair Lee and her husband, Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee. The Truman Study is in what would have been the front parlor of that house, now integrated into the Blair House complex.
The room is named for the 33rd president, Harry Truman, who lived with his family in Blair House from 1948 to 1952 while the White House was undergoing an extensive renovation. Truman used the room during those years as his private "Oval Office."
This Old House decorated the Truman Study to represent Christmas 1951. Gifts from the period, vintage-style ornaments, and Truman memorabilia adorn the space.
Contribute to This Story Below