Featured The Life and Presidency of Herbert Hoover
The 2016 White House Christmas ornament honors the administration of the thirty-first president of the United States Herbert Hoover, who served...
Presidential Inaugurations: A Court of Honor
How Long? 1 minute
A reviewing stand is usually constructed for the use of the president during the inaugural parade, the necessity arising as inaugural parades got longer — sometimes lasting for more than five hours. The design of these stands has varied greatly over time, with some being little more than platforms, while others were ornate two-story edifices.
In the past, additional grandstands were constructed on either side of Pennsylvania Avenue for other paying spectators. Decorated areas — usually the White House, reviewing grandstands, nearby buildings — came to be known as the Court of Honor. Images of stands reveal them to be fanciful, flamboyant constructions, bedecked with flags, swaddled in bunting, and decorated with flowers. Presidents sometimes had ideas about how the reviewing stands should look.
For his 1905 version, Theodore Roosevelt borrowed a collection of statues of notable Americans that had been exhibited at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Woodrow Wilson’s 1913 stand was modeled after his boyhood home in Staunton, Virginia. Today the reviewing stands are equipped with bulletproof glass, heaters, seats, and refreshments. The newly inaugurated president’s family, friends and invited dignitaries can watch the long parade in a comfortable atmosphere.
Woodrow Wilson’s reviewing stand in 1913 was inspired by his boyhood home in Staunton, Virginia.
The Washington press mocked the small reviewing stand of President Calvin Coolidge and the brief one-hour parade in 1925.
In 1929, Herbert Hoover’s striped reviewing stand gave the occasion a festive feeling.
The design for Dwight D. Eisenhower’s reviewing stand in 1953 was chosen in a competition sponsored by the American Institute of Architects.
You Might Also Like
-
-
Presidents and the Hey Day of Horse Racing in the Federal City
President Richard M. Nixon was the first sitting president to attend the Kentucky Derby on May 3, 1969. In his party that...
-
The American Presidents and Shakespeare
On April 23, 1932, Shakespeare-lovers from around the country flocked to Washington, D.C., to attend the dedication of the handsome new...
-
Presidents' Day at the White House
Just how does the president celebrate Presidents’ Day? Throughout the more than 200-year history of the White House, presidents themselves ha...
-
Presidents and the Potomac
For the politicians, civil servants, and accompanying citizenry of the new federal government—freshly arrived in 1800 from comfortable, sophisticated Philadelphia—the...
-
Presidents and College Football
Nearly 150 years after its beginnings college football season is in full swing. The sport has attracted countless players and even...
-
Secret Service and the Presidents
Historian William Seale has described presidential protection as a learning process, with presidents and their families and the Secret Service...
-
The Presidents Timeline
GEORGE WASHINGTON | 1789-1797 JOHN ADAMS | 1797-1801 THOMAS JEFFERSON | 1801-1809 JAMES MADISON | 1809-1817 JAMES MONROE | 1817-1825 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS | 1825-1829 ANDREW...
-
The Presidents Speak
TEACHER'S TEXTIn a democracy, the people speak at the ballot box. Their votes send a message to representatives at all...
-
Carriages of the Presidents
Before the twentieth century, the presidents' vehicles were not armored-plated or specially built. Their carriages were similar to those of...
-
Presidents at the Races
No sport created more excitement, enthusiasm and interest in the colonial period and the early republic than horse racing. Presidents...
-
The American Presidents Song
The origin of the "American Presidents" by Genevieve Madeline Ryan is somewhat unique. One year, Genevieve's father asked her to...