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The White House Visitors Office is responsible for public tours of the White House, for maintaining a facility where the public can obtain information about the White House, and for other White House events such as the White House Easter Egg Roll, Holiday Open Houses, Spring and Fall Garden tours, State Arrival Ceremonies and other special events. The White House Visitor Center, which is managed and operated by the National Park Service, is located within President's Park at the north end of the Herbert C. Hoover Building (the Department of Commerce headquarters) between 14th Street and 15th Street on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in the Federal Triangle. Since September 11, 2001, it no longer serves as a starting point for those going on a reserved tour of the White House; however, it does provide a unique visitor experience for those who did not schedule a tour. The themes of the six permanent exhibits are "First Families," "Symbols and Images," "White House Architecture," "White House Interiors," "Working White House," and "Ceremonies and Celebrations." Other exhibits change throughout the year. It houses a small bookstore operated by the White House Historical Association. The office is located in the East Wing of the White House and employed seven people at the start of the 2000s.〔 p. 400〕 Its role has been unique in that, up to 2001, the White House was the only home of a head of state that was regularly open to the public at no cost.〔 Since January 2009, the Director of the White House Visitors Office has been Ellie Schafer.〔 ==Early history== Historically, the White House has offered tours to the general public. During the Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt administrations, the general public could see the ground floor hallways and the East Room. Those blessed to have a special card given by a United States Senator could additionally see the three state parlors on the first floor — Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room — as well as the State Dining Room.〔 The White House was closed during U.S. participation in World War II.〔 Upon reopening in November 1946, the Truman administration decided to open all the aforementioned areas to all tour visitors, no Senator needed.〔 But as would always be the case, the real working areas of the White House, such as the Oval Office, were not included on tours, nor were upper floor residential areas. A schedule was established: tours took place between 10 o'clock and noon, Tuesday through Saturday, with desiring visitors lining up outside the East Gate. About a half million people a year visited, until the operation was shut down in November 1948 for a major renovation of the entire structure.〔 Tours were restarted in April 1952. In charge of them at that time was the Chief Usher of the White House.〔 Tours were suspended following the November 22, 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, but based upon the request of Jacqueline Kennedy, were resumed seven days later. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「White House Visitors Office」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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