The White house is one of the most recognizable
houses in the world, but just how Many White Houses have there been?? What could it have looked like? And where else did presidents run the country
from? Hi everyone Ken here, today we are exploring
the many renditions of the White House. Make sure to hit that subscribe button so
you never miss an exciting episode of This House! Following his inauguration in 1789, President
George Washington made his residence in two separate private homes in New York City, which
at the time functioned as the nation's Executive Residences. Initially, he settled into the Franklin House
at number 3 Cherry Street, a property owned by Samuel Osgood, who was the Treasury Commissioner. He resided there until the end of February
1790. Subsequently, the executive mansion was relocated
to a more spacious accommodation at the Alexander Macomb House, on Broadway. Here, Washington, alongside his wife Martha
and a modest entourage, stayed until August 1790. During May of the same year, plans were set
in motion for the construction of a new official residence in Manhattan, known as Government
House. However, Washington never had the opportunity
to reside in Government House. The nation's capital was transferred to Philadelphia
in 1790, where it would stay until 1800. This move was a result of the Residence Act
passed in July of 1790, which temporarily established the capital in Philadelphia for
a decade, with a long-term plan to relocate it to a newly designated Federal District. In Philadelphia, the government leased a mansion
belonging to merchant Robert Morris, located at 190 High Street, to serve as the President's
House. Given the mansion's limited space, which had
to accommodate Washington's extensive household which had grown to about 30 people, he had
the building expanded. John Adams, Washington's successor and the
second President of the United States, took up residence in the High Street mansion from
1797 until 1800. Even though Philadelphia had initiated the
construction of a more opulent presidential mansion, which was almost finished by Adams'
inauguration in 1797, Adams refrained from moving in, citing a lack of Congressional
approval to lease the property. Consequently, the building remained unoccupied
until it was eventually sold to the University of Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Back when Washington was still
the president, he and his secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson began planning a more permanent
Executive Residence. They decided that in the spirit of democracy,
they would hold a competition in which the people would be allowed to design the President’s
House. This design competition caught the attention
of some of the most well-known architects of the era, but the final decision boiled
down to nine finalists. Some of the proposed designs were palatial
and ostentatious, while others were more refined. Ultimately, it wasn’t a tough decision and
James Hoban, an architect of Irish-American heritage, emerged victorious. While Hoban’s design for what would eventually
be called the White House might seem the most familiar, it ultimately would not stand the
test of time. Construction started in 1792 and stretched
on for 8 long years as artisans added finishing touches, including whitewashing the sandstone
façade to give the White House its iconic appearance. John Adams became the first president to call
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue “Home” but the nation was still dealing with the British. In the midst of the War of 1812, the White
House fell victim to a devastating fire set by British troops in 1814, an event that was
part of the broader Burning of Washington. This aggressive act was a reprisal for the
American forces' raids in Canadian territories. The fire wreaked havoc across much of the
capital, severely damaging the White House. Post-fire, the structure was largely gutted,
with only its outer walls left standing. These remnants were so weakened by the fire's
ferocity and the subsequent weather exposure that almost all had to be demolished and rebuilt,
save for a portion of the south wall. The burn marks were covered over by white
paint, finally giving the Executive Residence the nic name, “White House.” At this time, James Madison was serving as
the President and had to move into the Octagon House while the White House was being repaired. He lived in this stately mansion for just
6 months. And though it was not as large, nor as opulent
as the Executive Residence had been, the federal style mansion was still graciously appointed
and revered as a stately residence suitable for a president and it served its purpose
well. The President’s lease of the Octagon House
was only meant to be temporary, in 1815 Madison moved to the Seven Buildings, a collection
of some of the oldest homes in DC, where he would serve the remainder of his presidency. During this time, Hoban collaborated with
the designer of the US Capitol Building, Benjamin Latrobe, to rebuild the White House. This time it would be given more attention
to detail with intricate relief work depicting roses near the columns capitols. The interior was lavishly furnished with richly
colored textiles to convey the nation’s wealth and permanence. The White House was classically styled both
inside and out, placing itself in a position to not only compete on the world stage, but
to play host to kings and queens among other foreign dignitaries. This version of the White House stood proudly,
mostly unchanged for decades, until President Chester Arthur took the oath of office in
1881. By now the Palladian and Neo Classical interiors
were viewed largely as being outdated. Arthur had every item in the White House discarded
without any thought for historical significance, save 2 busts which he chose to reuse. He then hired famed designer, Louis Comfort
Tiffany to completely reimagine the White House. Tiffany was known for his glass work which
he incorporated throughout the White House including a 50 foot long stained glass screen
embedded with gems to greet visitors in the Entrance Hall. The Red Room was transformed into the Pomeranian
Red Room with both silver and copper stars worked into the ceiling’s design. The Blue Room was refinished with metallic
geometric tracery lining the ceiling and walls with brightly colored floral carpet surrounding
the opalescent fireplace. Furthermore, rooms were covered in gold leaf
and faux marbling to give the White House an appearance more akin to the then popular
Victorian Era mansions of the ultra wealthy. This appearance did not sit well with President
Theordore Roosevelt, who, in 1902 hired the famed Gilded Age architecture firm of McKim,
Mead, and White to return the White House to it’s classical roots, doing away with
its Victorian influence. The renovations were extensive both inside
and outside of the White House as Charles McKim lead the project to not only bring back
a refined and classical aesthetic, but to modernize the functionality of the White House. Fleeting were the days of horses and buggies,
so the grounds were updated to receive deliveries by automobiles. The newly built West Wing was ready to be
staffed which freed up much needed space inside the White House to not only enlarge rooms,
but give the First Family more privacy in their living quarters. Roosevelt was a man of refined taste and recognized
the importance of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s work, so he carefully had the screen dismantled
and auctioned off. This allowed for Charles McKim to completely
redesign the Entrance Hall, which we will see after passing through the Vestibule. Tried and true motifs were used to decorate
the new Entrance Hall giving it an air of timelessness. Though it was not without detail, as we can
notice the intricate relief work found in the frieze, a signature of the architect in
the center of the White House. The Blue Room was toned down, allowing American
made furnishings and fixtures to speak to the quality of the nation’s production. The East room, continuing these classically
inspired elements, was clad in wall panels marked by fluted pilasters. Large crystal chandeliers were suspended from
an ornate plaster ceiling, while gilded accents were confined to the smallest of details to
convey only whispers of excess. Instead of overly personalized objects d’art,
the green room was not meant to distract, but rather to frame and call attention to
portraits of previous presidents and first ladies. Though it wasn’t all so impersonal, The
State Dining Room, finished in rich wood paneling with an elaborate Plaster Ceiling, displayed
the President’s prized trophies, where he could bond with other leaders and plan hunts,
events which helped solidify the nation’s good standing with a sense of comradery among
nations. The first floor continued on and on with several
more refined and elegant rooms, including the Yellow Oval Room. But we can skip ahead to the grand staircase,
guarded by a bronze screen, to see the more private quarters of the First Family. The bifurcated staircase splits at its landing,
taking us towards the Second Floor Hall, which was made to feel more homey with wood floors
below plush rugs and plenty of natural light pouring in through skylights above potted
plants. At this time, the Queens Bedroom, as it is
commonly referred to was known as the Rose Room. And what would eventually be called the Lincoln
sitting room served as the guest bedroom. For the first time, an East Wing was constructed
to flank the White House at the end of Thomas Jefferson’s earlier colonnade. The McKim, Mead and White redesign of the
White House was an instant success with the Critics. Around this time, there were more items that
needed to be addressed with the White House. Even with the addition of a West Wing, space
was limited. There were proposed additions which would
have forever reshaped the White House beyond recognition, but in the end, more subtle wings
were added to preserve its now iconic form. Though, not every iconic piece of the White
House had been placed yet. President William Howard Taft commissioned
architect Nathan C. Wyeth to double the size of the West Wing, adding subterranean levels,
but perhaps most culturally significant, this expansion included the first Oval Office in
1909. It was styled to be cohesive with the rest
of the complex, including Georgian Revival millwork and a simple marble fireplace mantel. Unfortunately, it was damaged by fire 2 decades
later in 1929. Several more renovations took place over the
years, including the addition of a fourth story above the White House by President Calivin
Coolidge. After Franklin D. Roosevelt became President,
he had the Oval office completely redesigned with additional offices planned in sub-basements
to be built out and under the White House Lawn. Roosevelt, who relied on a wheelchair, hired
architect Eric Gugler to ensure that he could comfortably get around. Not only that, but he would re-style the Oval
Office to include built in book cases, recessed lighting, and incorporate the Presidential
Seal in the center of the ceiling. By the 1940s, the White House had been rebuilt
from a burnt-out husk, renovated dozens of times, walls had been moved, basements and
sub-basements had been dug out under the house and lawn, and due to so many renovation projects
with such a large number of designers who did not communicate with each other, the entire
structure was essentially on the verge of collapse. In 1948, At the cost of 5.7 million dollars,
or the modern day equivalent of about 72 million dollars, President Truman had the White House
completely gutted. Once all the interiors were removed, the façade
was braced and steal beams were installed to replace the former wood supports. Though an effort was made to remove some of
the older, more delicate features to be reinstalled, most of the ornate plasterwork and paneling
were damaged beyond repair in the process of removing them. The general layout of the White House remained
the about the same, however once it was completed in 1952, critics called its finishes “generic.” The New White House was exactly that, it was
new, there was no history left between its walls. The White House was no longer viewed as a
palatial residence, it was just the President’s house with an unremarkable interior. When JFK arrived in the White House, First
Lady Jackie Kennedy immediately got to work creating a more appropriate White House. She hired leading designers such as Henry
Francis Du Pont and Stephane Boudin to create period rooms which would range from Louis
the 16th to Federal Style. Her exhaustive work transforming the White
House from a plain series of rooms to a residence that emulated historical significance garnered
her much deserved accolades. Just as it had been in the early days, and
again under Theodore Roosevelt, the White House was once again an architecturally respectable
establishment. In conjunction with her restoration efforts,
Congress named the White House a museum with historical protections to ensure that its
furnishings, architectural elements, and collections would be protected for future generations. Instead of allowing Presidents to renovate
the White House on a whim, there is now a Committee to oversee and approve any changes
outside of the First Family’s private quarters. Even with protections in place, the White
House continued to evolve and change with further renovations of state rooms by both
the Reagans and the Clintons. More recently, only minor changes have been
made Aside from tennis courts, gardens, and seasonal
decorations, the State Rooms have remained mostly unaltered in recent years. The narrative of the White House is a vivid
illustration of the nation's history, reflecting both its challenges and triumphs. As we look to the future, the White House
remains a symbol of the American presidency, embodying the values, aspirations, and enduring
spirit of the nation. Through the ongoing efforts to maintain and
protect this iconic building, we can rest assured that it will continue to tell the
American story to future generations, serving as a beacon of democracy and a cornerstone
of our national heritage. Which White House or Executive Residence did
you like the best? Let me know down below in the comments section. And while you’re there, make sure to hit
that subscribe button so you never miss an exciting episode of This House.
