WASHINGTON (AP) – People taking public tours of the White House now will have to leave a little more room in their schedules.
The White House announced Tuesday that a new room, the nearly 200-year-old Old Family Dining Room, has been added to the route.
And in what’s become a tradition, Michelle Obama went downstairs Tuesday to surprise some of the first members of the public to lay eyes on the room, which had never been open for public viewing. It was recently renovated and will be a showcase for 20th century art and design, the White House said.
“At least once a year I try to surprise a tour,” Mrs. Obama told one tourist during an approximately half-hour appearance shown on the White House website. She was accompanied by “Today” show correspondent Jenna Bush, the daughter of President George W. Bush, who was scheduled to interview the first lady.
The Old Family Dining Room is a smaller dining room off the State Dining Room on the first floor. It was created by President John Quincy Adams in 1825 as a place for the first family to eat meals, White House curator William Allman wrote on the White House blog.