One of the most well-known offices in the world — the Oval Office — is one that most people will never see. Until now. A new exhibit opens Monday that is a replica of that iconic office, and unlike the real Oval Office, tourists can go inside the replica, sit on the furniture and take photos.

The White House Historical Association will open its new, cutting-edge education experience in Washington, D.C., The People’s House: A White House Experience, on Monday, September 23. This first-of-its-kind, immersive center will tell the story of the Executive Mansion, its inhabitants, and the people who have dedicated their careers to its functions like never before.

Situated on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, less than a block away from the White House, the 33,000-square-foot, three-floor site features exhibits and galleries that bring the White House and its storied history to life. Visitors can interact with a large-scale White House model, recreation of the Rose Garden, full-scale replica of the Oval Office, recreation of White House moments, and more dimensional galleries combining immersive media and inventive scenic representations.

First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden, and children of friends and family of the Association will commemorate the grand opening and a shared commitment to amplifying White House history before the experience officially opens to the public.

“This new immersive education center will take visitors on an incredible journey using technology and innovation to bring White House history to life,” said First Lady Dr. Jill Biden who will help open the exhibit. “I’ve been personally involved in this project for the past two years, and especially as an educator, I’m so excited to see it opening to the public. It will be an extraordinary complement to White House public tours, and free and accessible for all. I hope school groups and students of all ages come to enjoy this new center to learn more about life in the White House and those who serve the American people there.”

Kittinger Furniture, a Buffalo, New York, company was called upon to produce replica White House furniture. 

For more than 40 years, Kittinger Furniture has been provided high-quality furnishings for the White House. Kittinger's relationship with the White House began in 1969 when President Nixon commissioned Kittinger to craft the famous Cabinet Room conference table. Since then, Kittinger has refurbished the table and leather top, crafted the chairs that surround it, and recently added a much needed expansion leaf to the table.

​These replicas are not the first the company has produced. In 2013, the company built a replica of the Oval Office for the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum located on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, TX.  Four former presidents — George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter — attended the opening dedication on April 25, 2013

Six months of work

Kittinger craftsmen spent six months to create replica pieces for the exhibit. Kittinger has produced around two dozen replica pieces of Oval Office furniture, including the presidential Resolute Desk for the new exhibit.

"It's supposed to replicate the experience of being in the White House and within the Oval Office which you would never be able to enter on a regular White House tour," company president Raymond C. Bialkowski told WGRZ.com.

"The attention to detail the inlay work is just phenomenal," Bialkowski said, "and that's why we had to work with the White House curators to try to get the exact specifications."

Some specifications were already pretty well-known. Some replicas were of pieces that the company made for the real White House.

"The  chairs that we are sitting on are actually replicas of some pieces which we were very proud to produce for President Reagan," Bialkowski said.

In addition to the Cabinet Room, Kittinger has crafted furniture for other spaces within the White House. When the President is meeting with a person of importance in the Oval Office, they are almost always sitting on a pair of our Fireside Chairs. The Roosevelt Room features a Kittinger conference table, our famous "Roosevelt Room" chairs along with several other pieces. Many other spaces in the White House have Kittinger pieces such as the West Wing Waiting Room, the Green Room and various support offices.