Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy nearly 60 years ago – on November 22, 1963 – his wife Jacqueline set out to cement her husband’s legacy, often centering efforts on one word: “Camelot.”

The term had always represented the youth and energy of the Kennedy administration. But under the direction of John and Jackie Kennedy, the White House itself was transformed into something resembling a modern-day Camelot, the fictional castle that was home to King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Historian and author James Archer Abbott presents a tour of America’s most famous residence as reimagined and theatrically reinterpreted for the Kennedys in a discussion of his book Designing Camelot: The Kennedy Restoration of the White House. He introduces the iconic Camelot stage as well as some of the more famous changes made to the Executive Mansion, while sharing bits of behind-the-scenes politics and intrigue.

Abbott is the lead author of Designing Camelot and currently serves as the executive director and chief curator of the Wright’s Ferry Mansion in Columbia, Pennsylvania.