Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the Corcoran School of Arts and Design

This photograph of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (right) and the Corcoran Museum (left) was taken by Bruce White for the White House Historical Association on May 17, 2014. Commissioned by President Ulysses S. Grant and built in 1888, what is now known as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building was designed by Alfred Mullet in the Second Empire style. The style is characterized by a sloping mansard roof and grand embellishments. Originally known as the State, War and Navy Building, the majestic structure now houses the offices of much of the presidents staff. The Flagg Building, home of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, is on the right side of the photograph. The building formerly included an art gallery, which was originally opened by noted philanthropist and art patron W.W. Corcoran in 1867. The gallery was housed what is now the Renwick Gallery and was meant to showcase his collection and encourage the American visual arts. To accommodate the expanding collection, the gallery was moved to the location on 500 Seventeenth Street. Ernst Flagg designed the Beaux-Arts style building which draws motifs and architectural features from classical antiquity and the Renaissance period.