African Americans & The Decatur House
Few people know the story of a brave woman named Charlotte Dupuy who was enslaved in Decatur House, the large...
The President's Neighborhood
Since the White House was first occupied by President John Adams in 1800, influential people and organizations—or those who hoped to have influence—have bought property and built homes and offices along the streets surrounding the White House. For more than two centuries this neighborhood has been the setting for political decision making and diplomacy, for social gatherings and protests, for wartime expediencies and peacetime hospitality. In this collection, we invite you to learn more about these landmarks in the President’s Neighborhood and their historic significance.
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The Historic Decatur House
When Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., and his wife, Susan, moved to the new federal city in 1816, they purchased land on...
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The Association's Decatur House on Lafayette Square
In the year 2011 the White House Historical Association entered its fiftieth year. Established during the administration of President John F....
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Conserving Japanese Silk Paintings at Decatur House
The six Utagawa Kunitsuru paintings hung in the Decatur House’s California parlor on the second floor from the late 1870s...
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Baron and Baroness Hyde de Neuville and Decatur House
One of America’s most celebrated naval heroes, Stephen Decatur, died on March 22, 1820 from wounds sustained in a duel with Co...
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Slave Quarters at Decatur House
In a space of just about 900 square feet—with 20 other people ranging in age from eighteen months to fifty years of...
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Unbuilt White Houses of the 19th Century
Throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century, several major proposals were made to alleviate crowding at the White House...
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Restoring the Original White House Stone
The restoration of the exterior of the White House, which I performed from 1989 to 1996, was an exciting and challenging task....
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History in the Camera's Eye
Versailles, Potsdam, and other grand relics of power are all imposing architecture and vistas, one always leading to another— Ossa pi...
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The Dolley Madison House on Lafayette Square
The Dolley Madison House, a yellow structure on the corner of H Street and Madison Place in “The President’s Neig...
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Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day": Christmas
The Roosevelts celebrated Christmas with a flurry of public and private activities. The non-stop action began the week before Christmas...
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In a White House Passageway
Arches and vaults are techniques of construction that serve to divert the support of heavy masses that would otherwise require...
