MEDFORD — In what must have been a first in United States history, Martha Washington, Helen Taft, Jackie Kennedy, Barbara Bush and Dolley Madison gathered in the Oval Office for a group picture at the Medford airport.

This gathering of former first ladies kicked off the opening of the airport’s newest feature, a replica of the White House Oval Office on the second floor of the terminal.

And what better way to unveil such a feature than a president and first lady look-alike contest?

Claudette Hills of Medford donned late-1880s period dress for her Helen Taft makeover.

The choice of Mrs. Taft was nonpolitical, Hills said.

“It was more about looks,” she said. “I look most like Helen Taft, so she’s who I chose.”

A stream of onlookers filed into the faux Oval Office Wednesday, taking in the carefully crafted details that included exact placement of paintings on the walls and photo re-creations of the Rose Garden as a backdrop.

Bern Case, the airport’s director, said the Oval Office idea sprouted in 2010. A vacant room on the terminal’s second floor was crying out for use, Case said.

To be rented for events

“The room had the dimensions of the Oval Office and it turned out perfectly,” Case said.

The room is to be rented out for meetings and gatherings to generate revenue for the airport.

“We aren’t going to host crazy bachelor parties or anything like that,” Case said. “But we think it’s something people will be interested in.”

The room costs $75 for four hours’ use, Case said.

Mrs. Bush, Democrat

Lynn Roberts, a self-proclaimed Democrat, said she was proud to parade around as Barbara Bush for a day. She did research into George H.W. Bush’s wife as she fashioned her costume.

“Barbara was very opinionated and played soccer and swam as a young lady,” Roberts said. “Also, she and Abigail Adams were the only ones who were the mother and the wife of a president.”

Karen Gordon, who embodied Dolley Madison, said she respected the fourth first lady’s bravery in the face of the British invasion and burning of Washington, D.C., in 1814.

“Dolley refused to leave until she rescued George Washington’s portrait,” Gordon said.

Thirteen-year-old Cydney Geisinger made her own pillbox hat to complete her transition into Jackie Kennedy.

“I chose Jackie because she’s really pretty and iconic,” she said.

The winner of the contest will receive a free two-way ticket to Los Angeles. The winner will be selected by the airport board and announced July 16.

“This is going to be a tough group to judge,” Case said. “There’s some good competition.”