The White House had fallen into disrepair after the Civil War. Much of the furniture was dirty and broken, the walls and floors were stained with tobacco juice, and the entire house was infested with insects. Patterson oversaw a $30,000 renovation of the White House. She hung new wallpaper, slipcovered old furniture, and used muslin cloth to cover the carpets during receptions. During her remodel of the White House, Patterson discovered a series of George P. A. Healy presidential portraits that were originally commissioned by Congress in 1857. Patterson framed and displayed them in the Transverse Hall where they can still be seen.
