Melania Trump just redesigned the White House's Rose Garden. Here's how the space has changed over the years.

Talia LakritzAug 25, 2020, 01:53 IST

The White House Rose Garden then and now.Library of Congress, Erin Scott/Reuters

Ellen Wilson, the wife of Woodrow Wilson, established the Rose Garden in 1913.
It was redesigned under the Kennedy administration, and it has hosted many historic events.
First lady Melania Trump updated the Rose Garden with pastel-colored roses and a new limestone walkway.

Before the White House had a Rose Garden, the land was used for horse stables.

Under the tutelage of first ladies throughout history, the garden was built and transformed into a colorful landscape with a well-manicured event space. Most recently, Melania Trump unveiled a new Rose Garden design on August 22.

Here's how the Rose Garden has changed over the years.

Before the Rose Garden, there was the Colonial Garden, which was established by Edith Roosevelt in 1902.

The Colonial Garden in 1902. Library of Congress

Ellen Wilson replaced the Colonial Garden with the White House Rose Garden in 1913.

The Rose Garden as planted in 1913. Library of Congress

The Rose Garden was designed by George E. Burnap and Beatrix Farrand.

The Rose Garden in 1914. Harris & Ewing/Library of Congress

In 1961, designer Rachel Lambert Mellon reimagined the garden.

The Rose Garden in 1963. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Mellon added Katherine crab apple trees, perennials, annuals, Greenpillow, and of course, roses.

The White House Rose Garden in 1963. Bettmann via Getty Images

More flowers were added to the Rose Garden for the wedding of President Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia and Edward Finch Cox in 1971.

Edward Finch Cox and Tricia Nixon Cox walk through rows of flowers in the White House Rose Garden in 1971. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

The wedding was attended by 400 guests.

The wedding ceremony of Tricia Nixon and Edward Cox in 1971. National Archive/Newsmakers/Getty Images

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan playfully fed some squirrels burrowed in the garden's potted plants.

The Rose Garden in 1983. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Over the years, many historic events occurred in the Rose Garden.

President Bill Clinton names Ruth Bader Ginsburg to be associate justice of the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden in 1993. Ron Sachs/CNP/Getty Images

The garden also once featured a small seating area where presidents occasionally held meetings or ate lunch.

Meeting in the Rose Garden in 2009. ImageCatcher News Service/Corbis via Getty Images

First lady Melania Trump unveiled the new Rose Garden design on August 22.

Members of the media view the renewed White House Rose Garden in 2020. Erin Scott/Reuters

The magnolias remain, but now there are also roses in white and pastel shades.

The new White House Rose Garden. Erin Scott/Reuters

The first lady will address the Republican National Convention from the Rose Garden.

The White House Rose Garden. Erin Scott/Reuters

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