NPS / Kelsey Graczyk Located south of the East Terrace Colonnade, the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden was designed Rachel Lambert Mellon, who also redesigned the Rose Garden for President John F. Kennedy. The planning of the garden started during the Kennedy administration and was finished during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. The pergola at the west end of the garden was designed by famed architect I. M. Pei. When the garden was formally dedicated in 1965, First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson named the garden to commemorate former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The current garden has French design elements. Sometimes referred to as the East Garden or First Lady’s Garden, a garden has been in this location since 1903 when First Lady Edith Roosevelt created a colonial-style garden here. President Woodrow Wilson’s first wife First Lady Ellen Wilson started planning a new garden in the Italian Tuscan style with landscape architect Beatrix Farrand in 1914. The garden design was implemented by President Wilson’s second wife First Lady Edith Wilson in 1916. Historically this garden serves as a location for outdoor receptions. From 1994 until 2000, First Lady Hillary Clinton staged eight outdoor sculpture exhibitions of American sculpture from around the country. 
NPS / Nathan King White House Gardens
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Last updated: October 12, 2023