Podcast White House Builder James Hoban’s Irish Roots
Over 200 years ago, James Hoban left Ireland for America to pursue his dream of becoming an architect. Selected by President...
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"Capture of the City of Washington," a representation of the destruction of Washington by the British during the War of 1812.
Library of CongressThe North Portico of the White House as it appeared with the paint removed during stone restoration in 1990.
White House CollectionIdyllic view of the White House from the south during the Jacksonian Age, c. 1834. This image may be a reversed view taken from a daguerreotype, as the ornamental garden presented here was actually on the building's east side.
White House Collection/The White House Historical Association"Statuary marble" Italian mantelpieces ordered from Purviance, Nichols, & Company were delivered to the White House in 1819. Examples can be seen in the Red and Green Rooms today.
White House Historical AssociationThe South Portico of the White House today.
White House Historical AssociationPresident John Adams first occupied the President's House on November 1, 1800. It stood for thirteen years and eight months until it was burned during the British invasion in August 1814. After a concerted effort by Congress to move the capital to Cincinnati, the government appointed two architects to "repair" the Federal City's public buildings: Benjamin Henry Latrobe, an Englishman of skill in architecture and engineering, worked on the Capitol; and Hoban rebuilt the White House. Hoban completed the work in 1817, but he returned in 1824 to build the South Portico for President James Monroe, and in 1829- 30 to add the North Portico for President Andrew Jackson.
Time, and occupants with different needs, have altered the White House in many ways. However, the White House image famous throughout the world is Hoban's entirely. It is a handsome residence, embellished with unquestionably the finest architectural stone carving produced in America at that time an august house, yet a house and not a palace. And when Hoban rebuilt it, he was ordered to make it as it had been, which he did, perpetuating the image and his own claim to a place in history.
Over 200 years ago, James Hoban left Ireland for America to pursue his dream of becoming an architect. Selected by President...
James Hoban came from humble beginnings as a young carpenter and architect in Ireland, and went on to collaborate with...
Two grand houses were under construction in the young Federal City in 1816: one the President’s House, reconstructed after it wa...
James Hoban's life is a memorable Irish-American success story. In his boyhood he learned the craft of carpenter and wheelwright,...
During the administration of President Harry S. Truman, the White House underwent a renovation and expansion so extensive, it changed...
From the beginning of its construction in 1792, until the 1902 renovation that shaped the modern identity and functions of the interior...
Since the White House was first occupied by President John Adams in 1800, influential people and organizations—or those who hoped to...
Kathryn Cramer Brownell
Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro is the founding principal at RBM Architecture & Design, a firm that focuses on custom residential design,...
The White House Historical Association (WHHA) offers many different resources for students working on National History Day projects.
Stewart D. McLaurin serves as president of the White House Historical Association, founded by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy more than...
The White House Historical Association (WHHA) offers many different resources for students working on National History Day projects.