Permanent Exhibit

Oval Office

On an early October morning in 1909, President William Howard Taft became the first President to walk into the Oval Office, located in the center of the south side of the West Wing.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

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Included with Museum admission

History of the Oval Office

On an early October morning in 1909, President William Howard Taft became the first President to walk into the Oval Office, located in the center of the south side of the West Wing. In 1934, during the Franklin Roosevelt administration, the Oval Office was moved to its current location within the West Wing – in the southeast corner, overlooking the Rose Garden.

The Desk

As you peer into the room known as the president’s formal workspace, you’ll notice the desk. Made from the timbers of the H.M.S. Resolute, an abandoned British ship discovered by an American vessel and returned to the Queen of England as a token of friendship and goodwill, it was commissioned by Queen Victoria and presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. Now known as the Resolute Desk, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the wooden base appears altered. This is because President Reagan added the 2” base to the desk to accommodate his 6’2” frame and keep the desk drawers from hitting his knees!

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The Oval Office

Each president decorates the Oval Office to suit his tastes. President Reagan, inspired by the West, added earthy colors, western art including a collection of bronze saddles, and, of course, a jar of jelly bellies for his desk! While at the Reagan Library, you will be able to view this full-scale replica of the Oval Office, decorated as it was during President Reagan’s presidency.

President Reagan’s inspirational can-do spirit was made clear by the two plaques he kept on his desk: “It can be done” and “There’s no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”

There is no limit to what man can do paperweight

“It's been the honor of my life to be your President.”

January 11, 1989

It's been the honor of my life to be your President. So many of you have written the past few weeks to say thanks, but I could say as much to you. Nancy and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve.

— Farewell Address to the Nation