MILLICENT SCHANDORF-LARTEY, ELLICOTT CITY, MARYLAND: Hi. My name is Millicent Schandorf-Lartey from Ellicott City, Maryland. I want to ask CNN, is the U.S. president's office really oval in shape? If not, why is it called the Oval Office, and what is the history behind it?</s>WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Before the 20th century, presidents used a home office in the White House living space. In 1909, President William Howard Taft had the West Wing enlarged in order to provide for presidential office space, and as part of the enlargement, an oval-shaped office was built for the president in the West Wing. In the 1930s, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a need for an expanded staff, so the West Wing of the White House was entirely rebuilt. The Oval Office was kept, but it was moved to the southeast corner of the West Wing, adjacent to the Rose Garden. And that is where it remains today.
Ask CNN: Is the Oval Office Really Oval?