SIMI VALLEY : White House Coming to Reagan Library

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is bringing the White House to the Simi Valley area in the form of a historical exhibit that will run through next month.

“The White House 1792-1992: Image in Architecture,” which will open to the public today, features photographs, architectural drawings, paintings and three-dimensional artifacts that were once part of the building itself.

Library curator Ann Bethel said the exhibit highlights ways the presidency has changed over the years by showing how the President’s home has changed.

“There are many public buildings, but I think the White House is the one that most Americans relate to,” Bethel said, “because they can relate to the families and the men who have lived there.”

Among the alterations over the years were the creation of the Oval Office and expansion of the White House’s living quarters and once-small state dining room to accommodate larger groups of visiting dignitaries.

The exhibit, one of two such collections making six-week stops around the country, was assembled by the American Architectural Foundation in cooperation with the White House Historical Society and debuted in Washington in May, 1992.

The chronological collection marks the selection of the site by George Washington in 1791; the burning of the building--then known as the President’s House--by the British in 1814; a major expansion in 1909 and renovation in 1930; the addition of the Truman Balcony in 1948 and the replacement of the swimming pool by the press center in 1969.

Reagan Library spokeswoman Stefanie Salata said the White House exhibit will be on display through Aug. 27.

The library is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for seniors age 62 and over. Children 15 and under are free.