How Camp David Has Changed Through the Years: Photos

Updated

2025-11-16T14:32:01.228Z

President Franklin D. Roosevelt turned a Maryland camp into a presidential retreat in 1942.
President Dwight Eisenhower changed the name to “Camp David” after his grandson.
Subsequent presidents added amenities including a pool, a chapel, and “Golf Cart One.”

Located in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains, Camp David serves as an escape for US presidents to unwind away from the White House and meet with world leaders in a more relaxed setting.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the presidential retreat when his preferred vacation, cruises aboard a presidential yacht, became too risky during World War II, according to the White House Historical Association.

Over the years, various presidents have enhanced the mountain property with amenities such as a heated pool, a non-denominational chapel, and the president’s own “Golf Cart One” to drive around the 180-acre retreat. For his part, President Donald Trump has called the getaway “very rustic.”

Take a look at how Camp David has changed through the years.

Camp David was known as Shangri-La when President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it as a presidential retreat in 1942.

A soldier stands in front of a sign reading Shangri-La, now known as Camp David. — Shangri-La, now known as Camp David.

Byron Rollins/AP

The name “Shangri-La” was the name of a fictional kingdom in the book “The Lost Horizon” by James Hilton.

President Harry Truman had the cabins updated with heating so that Camp David could also function as a winter retreat.

Camp David Aspen Lodge Snow Sledding — Aspen Lodge at Camp David in the winter.

Robert Knudsen/White House Photo/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

The retreat center was originally built in 1938 as a summer camp for use by government employees as part of The New Deal’s Works Progress Administration, so it wasn’t equipped for chilly weather.

In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower changed the name from “Shangri-La” to “Camp David” after his grandson.

A Camp David sign in the woods. — Camp David.

AP

David Eisenhower was 5 years old when his grandfather named the presidential retreat after him.

Today, David Eisenhower works as the director of the Institute for Public Service and a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication.

Mamie Eisenhower added the name “Aspen” to the main presidential cabin.

Dwight Eisenhower in front of the Aspen presidential cabin at Camp David. — Dwight Eisenhower with Colombian President Alberto Lleras outside Aspen.

AP

Aspen has four bedrooms, a kitchen, an office, and a patio.

Eisenhower became the first president to travel by helicopter in 1957, so he had a landing site installed at Camp David.

Dwight Eisenhower boards a helicopter in front of the White House. — Dwight Eisenhower with the presidential helicopter on the White House lawn.

AP

The helicopter flight from the White House to Camp David takes around 30 minutes, according to Eisenhower’s presidential library.

President Richard Nixon added a swimming pool near the presidential cabin in the 1970s.

The swimming pool at Camp David. — The swimming pool at Camp David during Richard Nixon’s presidency.

Nixon Library

There is also a second pool further out on the grounds.

Nixon also had the gravel paths paved to make it easier to drive around on golf carts.

Camp David in 1973.

Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Camp David measures 180 acres and includes miles of walking trails through the Catoctin Mountains.

Camp David was the setting for groundbreaking diplomatic agreements such as President Jimmy Carter’s Camp David Accords in 1978.

Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter, and Anwar Sadat at Camp David. — President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, President Jimmy Carter, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel at Camp David.

Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

President Jimmy Carter convened Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David in 1978, where the leaders negotiated a peace treaty between the two countries.

During Carter’s presidency, Camp David interiors featured plaid couches and wicker chairs.

Jimmy Carter at Camp David. — Camp David during Jimmy Carter’s presidency.

HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Plaid and wicker furniture were popular decor trends in the 1970s.

Presidents who gave weekly radio addresses did so from the presidential office in Laurel Lodge.

Bill Clinton reads his radio address at Camp David. — Bill Clinton at Camp David.

The White House/Getty Images

FDR was the first US president to deliver fireside chats over the radio in 1933.

Reagan brought them back in 1982, and every president since has continued the tradition except for President Donald Trump, who stopped recording weekly addresses about two years into his first term.

President Joe Biden revived them briefly in 2021, with a new format in which he spoke with Americans from the Oval Office and answered their questions and concerns.

Ronald Reagan designed Easter Chapel, a non-denominational space that opened during George H.W. Bush’s presidency.

The Bush family in the chapel at Camp David. — The Bush family in Evergreen Chapel at Camp David.

Eric Draper/White House via Getty Images

Reagan held a groundbreaking ceremony for the chapel at Camp David in 1988, and George H.W. Bush dedicated the space during his presidency in 1991.

George H.W. Bush revisited the chapel to celebrate Easter in 2006 during the presidency of his son, President George W. Bush.

Golf carts have long been the vehicle of choice to get around Camp David.

George W. Bush drives a golf cart at Camp David. — George W. Bush on Gold Cart One.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

President George W. Bush had a placard made for his golf cart labeling it “Golf Cart One,” a reference to Air Force One. He drove it during visits to Camp David in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

President Barack Obama hosted the G8 Summit in Laurel Cabin in 2012.

Barack Obama meets with world leaders in the Laurel Cabin at Camp David. — World leaders at the G8 Summit at Camp David.

Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

Leaders from the UK, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, and France joined Obama at Camp David in 2012 to discuss the European debt crisis.

He also took advantage of the pool table in Holly Cabin.

Barack Obama Pool Camp David — Barack Obama in Holly Cabin at Camp David.

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Camp David also has a bowling alley and a movie theater.

President Donald Trump only made occasional visits to Camp David during his first term and seemed to prefer his own luxurious residences.

Donald Trump receives a briefing in Camp David. — Donald Trump with senior White House staff at Camp David.

Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

Trump described Camp David as “very rustic” and told reporters in 2017 that they would tire of it after 30 minutes.

He spent more time at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, which became known as his “winter White House.”

Camp David featured more modern decor during President Joe Biden’s presidency.

Joe Biden at Camp David.

Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz

The wicker dining set and plaid couches were replaced with sleeker leather chairs and recessed lighting.

During his second term, Trump used Camp David to hold meetings about US strategy in the Middle East.

Donald Trump walks past Marine One. — Donald Trump walks to the White House from Marine One upon returning from Camp David.

The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Trump met with his foreign policy team at Camp David in June to discuss brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran, Axios reported.

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