Secret warehouse furnishes White House

It’s moving day for the Obamas. But unlike average folks, they don’t have to worry about unpacking the moving van.

The family can choose any piece of furniture ever used in their new home: the White House.

When the Obamas move into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., they will have their choice of any presidential sofa, table or chair that is still in working order. All they have to do is select from among thousands of pieces located in a secret, 40,000-square-foot warehouse in Maryland.

Its exact location is undisclosed.

Presidents and their families have dipped into the treasure trove for years. “I remember Rosalynn Carter found in White House storage some child-size furniture that had been given to the White House during Caroline Kennedy’s time,” said former White House curator Betty Monkman.

Miss Monkman, now in her early 60s, worked in the office of the White House curator from 1967 to 2002, and in 1997 was appointed chief curator. During her years in the office, she culled through the White House antiques for eight presidents.

The storage facility, she said, houses everything from Theodore Roosevelt-era rugs to Harry S. Truman’s bedside table.

“It’s a historic record of everything that has been used in the White House over the last 200 years,” she said.

The office of the first lady told The Washington Times that the facility’s location is never discussed publicly for security reasons, but Miss Monkman explained in an interview what it was like.

“There are stacks and rows, metal shelving, rows of chairs by style or period, paintings on painting racks, carpets rolled up on rolled textile storage, and some things are in crates,” she said.

Walking through the warehouse is like traveling through American history.

“There are many things from Theodore Roosevelt’s time, especially things that were used on the State Floor that will probably not be used in the White House again,” said Miss Monkman.”We have furniture from the Blue Room dating back to James Buchanan’s time in the mid-19th century.”

In addition to the pieces in storage, the new president also can borrow any painting from any of the national museums and hang them in either their private residence or the White House’s West Wing.

The Obamas can choose furniture for any of the 132 rooms in the White House.

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