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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Inventories of the tools in the stonecutting sheds suggest that some of the stone was sawed, a technique that bypassed usual tooling used to "finish" the stone's surface. The cut resulted in two stones, each with a smooth face. This had particular advantages in cutting ashlar, for only one face had to be exposed. Another plus was that it could be accomplished by unskilled labor under direction. Even at best it was a long, tedious process. The saw, unserrated, had a sharp copper or iron blade fixed in a heavy wooden frame. One or two men worked the saw, while another poured wet sand into the cut. To speed completion of the house, "composition ornaments" bought in Baltimore, made of plaster of Paris and reinforced with wire, were used as the moldings and the plasterwork decoration on the house's interior - architraves, friezes, cornices, and chimneypieces.
Detail from an 1800 watercolor by William Birch of stone cutters (in the bottom left) at work at the Capitol. Many of the same workmen and craftsmen also had worked on the White House.
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...
Since the White House was first occupied by President John Adams in 1800, influential people and organizations—or those who hoped to...
James Hoban's life is a memorable Irish-American success story. In his boyhood he learned the craft of carpenter and wheelwright,...
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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.
Kathryn Cramer Brownell