Featuring Katherine Malone-France, Vice President for Historic Sites at National Trust for Historic Preservation and Osborne Mackie, author and antiques & fine arts expert
James Hoban's life is a memorable Irish-American success story. In his boyhood he learned the craft of carpenter and wheelwright, and became an architect by profession and a builder by trade. Hoban came to America with high ambitions, and designed and erected many buildings; but what keeps his name alive today arises from one special commission—he was the architect of
Since the first cherry blossom planting in 1912 by First Lady Helen Herron Taft, Washingtonians have celebrated the scenic beauty and the coming of spring the cherry trees represent. Today, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place in early spring when the blossoms are in full bloom, has become a major event, drawing tourists and locals alike. First ladies have
In 1816, Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr. and his wife Susan moved to the nascent capital city of Washington, D.C. With the prize money he received from his naval feats, Decatur purchased the entire city block on the northwest corner of today’s Lafayette Square. The Decaturs commissioned Benjamin Henry Latrobe, one of America’s first professional architects, to design and buil
For more than a century, thousands of Americans have gathered in Lafayette Park across from the White House to exercise their First Amendment rights and bring awareness to their respective causes. In this collection, explore how individuals, groups, and organizations historically used this space to advocate equality, protest policy, and demand action from the neighborhood's most powerful occupant.
Featuring Dr. Christopher Moran, Chairman, Co-Operation Ireland; Merlo Kelly, Design Fellow, University College Dublin, School of Architecture Planning and Environmental Policy; and Andrew McCarthy, Independent Historian and Scholar
Stewart D. McLaurin serves as president of the White House Historical Association, founded by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy more than sixty years ago to share and preserve the rich history of the White House. In his nine years as leader of the private nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, Stewart has expanded the Association’s cultural and educational programming through award-winning books, popular vi