President and Mrs. Eisenhower chose wool carpeting in a gold color for much of their home. Interestingly, it was not installed wall-to-wall. Instead, the hardwood flooring was left exposed along the perimeter as if the carpet was an area rug. The gold color coordinated with the cream-colored wall paint in the living room, entrance hall, main stairs, second floor hallways, and back stairs.
Eisenhower National Historic Site successfully competed for funding from the National Park Service’s Recreation Fee Regional 20% Fund to replace all of the reproduction carpeting. The replacement carpet will be high quality and custom-dyed to match the historic gold color. Visitors will experience a more accurate representation of how the carpeting looked during the Eisenhower era.
The site and grounds around the Eisenhower home will be open to the public with ranger programs at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. daily. To move furnishings and install the new carpeting the National Park Service is announcing the following closures for the Eisenhower Home. Temporary closures for the home will be on weekdays only: March 14-17 and March 20 -24. The grounds will remain open during this time with ranger programs being provided to visitors.
The Eisenhower National Historic Site is open daily with shuttle buses leaving the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Admission is $9.00 for adults and $5.00 for youth ages 6 -12; children age 5 and under are admitted free. Advance reservations are available and highly recommended for groups. Reservations can be made by calling 877-874-2478.
For more information contact the Eisenhower National Historic Site at 717/ 338-9114 or visit the website at www.nps.gov/eise.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
