Architecture: 1790s-1840s
1790sThe Presidents House was a major feature of Pierre Charles L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the city of Washington. He envisioned a...
South Portico vestibule James Hoban devised for the 1824 addition. (White House History Number 29)
- Medium
- Photo
- Credit
- Jack E. Boucher, Historic America Buildings Survey
South Portico vestibule James Hoban devised for the 1824 addition. (White House History Number 29)
Located beneath the South Portico, this vestibule most clearly illustrates the system of vaulting James Hoban devised for the 1824 addition. The groined arch forming the ceiling of the vestibule makes the tall doors possible by redirecting the weight borne by a low-slung barrel vault that supports the heavy stone floor of the semi-circular South Portico above.
You Might Also Like
-
-
Collection President Truman's Renovation
During the administration of President Harry S. Truman, the White House underwent a renovation and expansion so extensive, it changed...
-
Collection An Artist Visits the White House Past
From its construction in 1792, until the 1902 renovation that shaped the modern identity and functions of the interior of the White...
-
Collection Tudor Place
-
Collection 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...
-
Architecture: 1950s-2000s
1950sSoon after moving into the White House in 1945, President Truman noticed large areas of cracking in the plaster throughout the...
-
Architecture: 1900s-1940s
1900sOne of Theodore Roosevelts earliest acts as President was to issue an order establishing the "White House" as the buildings...
-
Architecture: 1850s-1890s
1850sJames Buchanan, at the urging of his niece and White House hostess Harriet Lane, added a wooden greenhouse on the...
-
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...
-
"A Communication Between These Offices"
When David Baillie Warden remarked in 1816 that “it was originally proposed to form a communication between the [executive departmental] offices an...
-
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...
-
Introduction: Where Oh Where Should the Capital Be?
So much about the new United States was new—a democracy in a world full of monarchies, an elected president in...
