Table Of Content
Adams’s addition to the house consisted of rickety wooden stairs to a scabbed-on wooden balcony that gave the public unintended access to the south entrance of the house. When Jefferson replaced John Adams as president in 1801, he quietly slipped into a shell of a house still reeking of fresh plaster. Jefferson’s west wing expansion had to await a considerable grade change (illustration 21). The “temporary stable” had been “added under the colonnade” on the east side (illustration 27). “Under the colonnade” had now become the catch phrase for “temporary,” hold- ing out hopes of some grand central pavilion.61 The east wing grew again with a temporary coach house extension in 1809 under President Madison.
The Terrace Deck and Coach Houses
The architectural expansion of the West Wing reflects the growth and adaptability of our nation. It is a testament to the resilience and determination of our leaders, who faced adversity with grace and sought to strengthen the foundations of our democracy. This room serves as a powerful reminder that progress is achieved through collaboration and a shared vision for the future.
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Oval Office
A contest to find a builder produced a winning design from Irish-born architect James Hoban, who modeled his building after an Anglo-Irish villa in Dublin called the Leinster House. Gradually, the original tenants of the EEOB vacated the building — the Navy Department left in 1918 (except for the Secretary who stayed until 1921), followed by the War Department in 1938, and finally by the State Department in 1947. The White House began to move some of its offices across West Executive Avenue in 1939, and in 1949 the building was turned over to the Executive Office of the President and renamed the Executive Office Building. The building continues to house various agencies that comprise the Executive Office of the President, such as the White House Office, the Office of the Vice President, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Council. The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located next to the West Wing, is an impressive structure that commands a unique position in both our nation’s history and its architectural heritage. Originally built for the State, War, and Navy Departments between 1871 and 1888, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building now houses a majority of offices for White House staff.
Palace of State: The Eisenhower Executive Office Building
And while the commander-in-chief was away from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, that didn't mean the White House remained idle. Designers from the General Service Administration (an agency of the U.S. government) worked overtime to complete a much-needed $3.4 million renovation. The redesign included the updating of a 27-year-old H.V.A.C. system, upgrading the building's IT systems, and repairing the South Portico steps for the first time since the Eisenhower administration (1953–1961).
Evidence for the Design of the Wings
The other possible clue to smoke being present is that the Walter plan shows a possible opening for ventilation on the west wall of this space facing the exterior passage between wing and house. On the north side (left side of photograph) the ice house wall “ghost” is visible to the right, and continuing below window bay two. This defines the wall between the ice house and the wood room, whose walls are shown on the Walter plan as recessed for the original window and door to open into the room.
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Instead, Hoban was brought back to rebuild it nearly from scratch, in some areas incorporating the original, charred walls. Upon reassuming residency in 1817, James Madison and his wife Dolley gave the home a more regal touch by decorating with extravagant French furniture. The French Second Empire style originated in Europe, where it first appeared during the rebuilding of Paris in the 1850s and 60s. Based upon French Renaissance prototypes, such as the Louvre Palace, the Second Empire style is characterized by the use of a steep mansard roof, central and end pavilions, and an elaborately sculptured facade.
History
The "elliptic salon" at the center of the White House was the outstanding feature of Hoban's original plan. An architect, James Hoban, visited President Washington in Philadelphia in June 1792, and probably saw the bow window.[9] The next month, Hoban won the design competition for the White House. He spent most of his presidency in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which served as the temporary national capital for 10 years, from 1790 to 1800, while Washington, D.C., a new city, was under construction. Burned to the ground by the British in August 1814, the President’s House was nearly left in its smoldering remains as lawmakers contemplated moving the capital to another city.
When Was the White House Built?
First Lady Mary Lincoln purchased the Lincoln rosewood bed set for the room in 1861, but the president never slept in it. The first executive offices were constructed on sites flanking the White House between 1799 and 1820. A series of fires (including those set by the British during the War of 1812) and overcrowded conditions led to the construction of the existing Treasury Building. In 1866, the construction of the North Wing of the Treasury Building necessitated the demolition of the State Department building to the northeast of the White House. Orphan Asylum Building while the War and Navy Departments continued to make do with their cramped quarters to the west of the White House.
While the financing for the White House make-over was approved by the Obama administration, Trump's staff didn't miss an opportunity to attack the former president. Though some presidents have chosen to do day-to-day work in a smaller study just west of the Oval Office, most use the actual Oval Office for work and meetings. Traffic from the large numbers of staff, visitors, and pets over time takes its toll. The original floor was made of cork installed over softwood; however, President Eisenhower was an avid golfer and damaged the floor with his golf spikes. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan had the floor replaced with quarter sawn oak and walnut, in a cross parquet pattern similar in design to a 1933 Eric Gugler sketch, which had never been executed. In August 2005, the floor was replaced again under President George W. Bush, in exactly the same pattern as the Reagan floor.
A portrait of Andrew Jackson by Thomas Sully hung in the offices of Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. A portrait of Abraham Lincoln by George Henry Story hung in George W. Bush's office, continued in Barack Obama's and currently hangs in Joe Biden's. Three landscapes/cityscapes – City of Washington from Beyond the Navy Yard by George Cooke, Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay by Victor de Grailly, and The President's House, a copy after William Henry Bartlett – have adorned the walls in multiple administrations. Architect Eric Gugler more than doubled the space of what was becoming known as the “West Wing,” added a swimming pool in the west terrace for the polio-stricken president, and moved the Oval Office to the southeast corner.
The Indian Treaty Room, originally the Navy’s library and reception room, cost more per square foot than any other room in the building because of its rich marble wall panels, tiled floors, 800-pound bronze sconces, and gold-leaf ornamentation. This room has been the scene of many Presidential news conferences and continues to be used for conferences and receptions attended by the President. The remaining north, west, and center wings were constructed for the War Department and took an additional 10 years to build. Notable interiors include an ornate cast-iron library, the Secretary’s suite, and the stained glass skylight over the west wing’s double staircase. By 1870 the ice house had been floored over for a black servants’ dining room and lounge, hiding that ear- lier feature for the rest of the century.
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