Envision an open meadow. It gently slopes toward a marsh. That was the South Lawn in 1800. Today, the South Lawn is directly south of the White House. It is bordered by East and West Executive Drives. The Treasury Building and Old Executive Office Building also border it. South Executive Drive and The Ellipse curve along its southern edge.
Since the White House is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the South Lawn is often called the back lawn. The North Lawn faces Pennsylvania Avenue. The South Lawn provides a long view from the White House. It stretches from north to south. The South Lawn was open to the public until World War II. Now, it is a closed part of the White House grounds.
The South Lawn hosts official events. State Arrival Ceremonies take place here. Informal gatherings also occur here. The annual White House Egg Rolling Contest is a favorite. Staff barbecues are common too. Marine One, the presidential helicopter, lands on and departs from the South Lawn.
Thomas Jefferson shaped the South Lawn. He built mounds on each side of a central lawn. Jefferson and architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe planned a triumphal arch. It would serve as the main entry point to the grounds.
Landscape designer Andrew Jackson Davis softened the design in 1850. He added a semicircular southern boundary. Meandering paths were included. Davis enlarged the South Lawn. He created a large circular lawn called the “Parade or President’s Park”. It was bordered by many shrubs and trees.
During Ulysses S. Grant’s time, the marsh was drained. The South Lawn was filled with 8 to 10 feet of material. This made the slope to the Potomac more gradual. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reconfigured the South Lawn. This happened during the administrations of Rutherford B. Hayes and Grover Cleveland. They reduced the size of Downing’s circular parade. They created the current boundaries.
Theodore Roosevelt removed Victorian-era glass houses. These stood near the West Colonnade and the West Wing site. In 1934, Franklin D. Roosevelt hired Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to assess the grounds. Olmsted wanted to balance privacy for the president with public views of the White House. His plan is largely what we see today. Large trees and shrubs create privacy. Sight lines of the house are still generous from the north and south. The lawn is planted with tall fescue grass.
Andrew Jackson’s southern magnolias stand on either side of the South portico. These are the earliest trees planted by a president. Other trees include Japanese threadleaf maple and American elm. There are also white oak and white saucer magnolia trees. Atlas cedar, sugar maple, and northern red oak trees grow here.
The South Lawn pool and fountain are seasonally planted. Tulips and grape hyacinth bloom in spring. Red geranium and Dusty Miller appear in summer. Chrysanthemums bloom in the fall.
The Rose Garden and Jacqueline Kennedy Garden face the South Lawn. The Rose Garden is southwest of the residence near the Oval Office. The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden is southeast of the residence. Lady Bird Johnson dedicated it in 1965.
A tennis court was installed during Theodore Roosevelt’s administration. It has been moved several times. President Obama added basketball court lines and baskets. A half-court basketball area and horseshoe pit are nearby.
President Gerald Ford installed the outdoor swimming pool in 1975. It is south of the West Wing. President Dwight D. Eisenhower first installed a putting green in 1954. President Clinton moved it near the Rose Garden.
A children’s garden sits between the tennis and basketball courts. It was a gift in 1968. The garden includes a goldfish pond. Footprints and handprints of presidents’ children are in the walkway.
The South Lawn is a landing area for Marine One. The helicopter lands on the grass. Removable aluminum discs support the landing gear.
President Clinton had a quarter-mile jogging track installed in 1993. Michelle Obama created a vegetable garden. The Obamas also installed a beehive.
In 2018, President Trump and President Macron planted an oak tree from Belleau Wood. It was later removed for quarantine.
The South Lawn has evolved greatly over time. It serves many important functions for the President and the nation.