Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department Of State

The Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the United States Department of State are forty-two principal rooms and offices where the United States Secretary of State conducts the business of modern diplomacy. Located on the seventh and eighth floors of the Harry S Truman Building in Washington, D.C., the diplomatic reception rooms include one of the nation's foremost museum collections of American fine and decorative arts.

Architect Edward Vason Jones designed several of the rooms between 1965 and 1980. Clement Conger, curator of the collections from 1961 to 1990, assembled many of the art, furniture, and decorative arts objects.

Management

In accordance with Title 22 of the United States Code, Chapter 38, Section 2713(a), the Office of Fine Arts (M/FA) at the U.S. Department of State oversees the art and architecture of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms and administers this museum on behalf of the Secretary of State. In addition to the Office of Fine Arts, the Office of the Chief of Protocol administers official visits by guests of the secretary. The facilities themselves apart from their contents are managed by the Bureau of Administration (A/OPR/GSM), which with the Office of Fine Arts reports to the Under Secretary of State for Management.

Collections

Masterpieces in the collections are assembled from the early Federal period, c. 1790–1815. These masterpieces are interwoven into an interpretative narrative that explores U.S. diplomatic history: charting of the new world and the colonial foundations, the nation's road to independence and birth of the United States, and expansion westward over the years 1740–1840. The Diplomatic Reception Rooms are a national treasure that belongs to the American people. It is the People that support the vital activities of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms. Charitable contributions from private citizens, foundations, and corporations support revitalization and expansion initiatives, collections maintenance and conservation, and educational programming.

On September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris, establishing peace with Great Britain after the Continental Army prevailed in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the nation's independence, was signed on this Tambour Writing Table. This diplomatic achievement is depicted in the collection's unfinished painting, after Benjamin West’s 1782 original, ''The American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Negotiations with Great Britain''. Hand-wrought silver by patriot-silversmith Paul Revere, porcelain wares from George Washington's Society of Cincinnati, and companion portraits of John Quincy and Louisa Catherine Adams, 1816, by artist Charles Robert Leslie are among the national treasures.

File:Wilson - Benjamin Franklin (c1760).jpg, ''Portrait of Benjamin Franklin'' (ca. 1760), by Benjamin Wilson.
File:ThomasJeffersonStateRoomPortrait.jpg, ''Portrait of Thomas Jefferson'' (ca. 1791), by Charles Willson Peale.
File:Bombe Desk and Bookcase 1753 Benjamin Frothingham Jr.jpg, Bombé desk and bookcase (1753), by Benjamin Frothingham Jr., Massachusetts.
File:1760 philly highboy.jpg, Chippendale high chest (ca. 1760), unknown maker, Philadelphia.
File:Chippendale Mahogany Camel-Back Sofa Diplomatic Reception Rooms.jpg, Marlborough-leg camel-back sofa (ca. 1775-1800), attributed to Thomas Affleck, Philadelphia.

8th floor

The Edward Vason Jones Memorial HallEntrance HallPassagewayGalleryWalter Thurston LoungeMartha Washington LoungeDolley Madison RoomJohn Quincy Adams Drawing RoomThomas Jefferson Reception RoomBenjamin Franklin State Dining RoomJames Monroe RoomJames Madison RoomHenry Clay Room

7th floor

* The Treaty Room

Gallery

File:JeffersonStateReceptionRoom.jpg, Thomas Jefferson State Reception Room.
File:George W. Bush addresses his remarks at the Secretary of State’s Dinner.jpg, Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room.
File:VasonJonesHall.jpg, Edward Vason Jones Memorial Hall.
File:Defense.gov News Photo 120430-D-NI589-0121 - Philippines Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin left Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario Secretary of State.jpg, Treaty Room Suite.
File:Clinton Netanyahu Abbas Mitchell 2 Sep 2010.jpg, Secretary of State's Office
File:Secretary Kerry Greets Former Secretary Albright.jpg, James Monroe Conference Room
File:Hillary Rodham Clinton and Hoshyar Zebari launch Joint Coordination Committee.jpg, James Madison Dining Room.

References

Further reading

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External links

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Tours – Scheldule a public tour of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms
via Salesforce
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{{Authority control

United States Department of State
Individual rooms in Washington, D.C.
1961 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Art museums and galleries established in 1961
Art museums and galleries in Washington, D.C.
Museums of American art
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