I was glancing through the March/April issue of Hook Magazine when a subtitle of a paragraph caught my eye: Eric Gugler in Palisades – a Personal Note. Right below the type was a picture of the Oval Office, and that really grabbed my attention. It seems that when FDR wanted to knock down the West Wing of the White House and rebuild, he turned to a young architect who had a background in the classics but wasn’t afraid of embracing innovation. This young man was Eric Gugler, the husband of Anne Tonetti Gugler. Eric, together with FDR, was responsible for the design of the Oval Office, from the set-in bookcases in the wall to the ceiling medallion of the Presidential Seal. Gugler also designed the placement of the two high backed wing chairs in front of the fireplace, where the President and visiting heads of state are seated. Wow! I thought this was a pretty exciting fact about our neighborhood.
Now THAT’S being famous. Unfortunately he has since passed away, in 1974, but the author of the article visited Annie Gugler and saw the original maquette models of the Oval Office that Eric Gugler designed. What an interesting article. Please check it out if you haven’t already read it…