MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG HOSTS RECEPTION TO OPEN
RESTORED GOVERNOR’S ROOM IN CITY HALL

Mayor Announces City Hall to Resume Tours to the General Public

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg reopened the Governor’s Room in City Hall after a complete renovation at a reception this evening. The Governor’s Room was originally used as a ceremonial reception chamber and municipal museum, and houses one of the most important collections of 19th century American portraiture, furnishings, and artifacts including George Washington’s desk. The Governor’s Room Restoration Project began in 1998 and was made possible through a combination of $2.4 million in City funds from Fiscal Year 1999 and $205,000 in private donor support. Deputy Mayor for Administration Patti Harris, Art Commission President Jean Parker Phifer, Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Martha Hirst, Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Bob Tierney, Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate Levin, Trustee of the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust and former Art Commission President Edward Ames, and Princess Marie-Sol de La Tour d’Auvergne and Jane Gaillard of the French Heritage Society also attended the event.

“The Governor’s Room holds a very special place in our City’s civic history and life,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “In this very room, there have been receptions honoring the Marquis de Lafayette, Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein. The restoration of the Governor’s Room is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished through public/private partnerships. Thanks to the generous support of so many in the private sector, the Governor’s Room will continue to serve as a civic museum, housing some of the most significant early American portraits and furniture. We hope that in addition to the thousands of school children who visit City Hall each year, New Yorkers and tourists will take advantage of our tours and learn more about the rich and vibrant history of our great City.”

The Governor’s Room was originally designated as a chamber for the Governor of New York State to receive guests when he visited the City. Its earliest ceremonial use was on June 11, 1817, when President Monroe received the Mayor, members of the Common Council and the public. Since then, numerous United States presidents, foreign heads of state, and other dignitaries, as well as thousands of schoolchildren, tourists, and New Yorkers have visited this space. 

The Governor’s Room Restoration Project began in 1998, when the City initiated a design study for the installation of a temperature and humidity control system for the room. The scope of work conducted by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services included installation of ductwork, air-handlers, and fan coil units. In addition, the work included removal, relocation, storage and reinstallation of art and decorative arts collections housed in the room; repair and refinishing of water damaged paneling, plasterwork, windows and flooring.  The actual work commenced in June 2001 and was partially suspended in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and began again in March 2002.

Additional private funds were raised to cover the costs of design elements outside of the construction budget, but critical to the historic integrity and visual impact of the room including draperies, fabrics, upholstery, and furniture conservation.

Highlights of the Governor’s Room include George Washington’s desk from the second City Hall where the first Congress met when New York was the nation’s capital (this piece was installed in the Governor’s Room in 1844); Charles Christian’s furniture, which dates from 1814, including two sofas, two antique style desks, and side chairs; Lannuier armchairs, which date from 1812 and were moved from the committee of the Whole Room to the Governor’s Room in 1847. Works of art in the room include a portrait of George Washington by John Trumbull, 1790; portrait of Oliver Hazard Perry, U.S. Navy Commander at Lake Erie during the War of 1812, by John Wesley Jarvis, 1816; a portrait of John McComb by Samuel Waldo, undated; and a bust of DeWitt Clinton by Enrico Causici, circa 1832.

The Art Commission of the City of New York, which has served as the curator of the room for more than 100 years, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission, updated the 1983 study outlining the history of the Governor’s Room. The new publication will include an addendum updating the earlier study on the chamber, an article on the use of color in historic American interiors, and new photography of the completed restoration work.

The Mayor’s Office would like to thank Drake Design, which provided pro bono design expertise in consultation with the Art Commission of the City of New York and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Both agencies served as advisors on the restoration project. The colors and fabrics used in the Governor’s Room were based a combination of two periods: the early-twentieth-century architectural framework created by architect Grosvenor Atterbury and the early-nineteenth-century atmosphere evoked by the finishes, furnishings, and portraits. 

The Governor’s Room will continue to serve as a civic museum and tours of the room are available to the public on Friday’s from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm by appointment and Monday – Thursday as the City Council schedule permits (tours for school groups are done throughout the week also by appointment). To make a reservation, call the City Hall Sergeant of Arms at (212) 788-6865.