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Press Release
NEW Book by Stewart D. McLaurin The White House: Designed by James Hoban, Built by Many Hands!
Today the White House Historical Association announces the presale of The White House: Designed by James Hoban, Built by Many Hands! In this book, Stewart D. McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association, shares the story of White House architect James Hoban and those who constructed the White House including Scottish stonemasons, Irish builders, and enslaved laborers of African
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Press Release
Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony
The White House Historical Association placed a wreath at the gravesite of James Hoban, Irish immigrant and the designer and builder of the White House, on Tuesday, March 14 at 11:00AM. The event took place at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C. See images from the wreath placement ceremony The ceremony included remarks from: Stewart McLaurin, President of the White
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Press Release
The White House Historical Association Releases Annual Holiday Catalog of Exclusive 2023 Gift Items, Including Official 2023 White House Christmas Ornament
The White House Historical Association has just released its annual holiday catalog featuring a wide range of holiday gifts including the beloved Official 2023 White House Christmas Ornament. The new items and ornament are available for purchase online through the Association’s interactive digital catalog and in stores. This year’s catalog features:
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A Tour of the White House: The Entrance Hall
The Cross Hall and large Entrance Hall are at the center of the original plan by James Hoban for the state floor of the White House. The basic floor plan has not been altered substantially, although modifications have been made to the design and placement of the principle staircases. The plan is arranged so that the Cross Hall connects all
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A Tour of the White House: The East Room
Ascending from the Ground Floor Corridor, a marble stairway leads the White House visitor to the state floor level. Off the landing to the right is the East Room. The largest of the state rooms, it was designed by James Hoban and George Washington to be a "Public Audience Room."
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A Tour of the White House: The Green Room
James Hoban, the original architect of the President's House, intended that the space now called the "Green Room" be used as a "Common Dining Room." An 1801 inventory revealed that first residents President and Mrs. John Adams actually used it as a guest bedchamber. However, the next chief executive, Thomas Jefferson, did serve meals in this room. Jefferson may have foreshadowed
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A Tour of the White House: The Blue Room
The Blue Room with the Yellow Oval Room above and the Diplomatic Reception Room below it, form the most elegant space of James Hoban's plans for the White House. For the south wall of the Blue Room, he designed French doors flanked by long windows. Since the time of President Thomas Jefferson, this oval room has been used for receptions.
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A Tour of the White House: The Ground Floor
The white marble walls of the Ground Floor corridor complement the vaulted ceiling arching gracefully overhead. Architect James Hoban installed the groin vaulting around 1793. Its sturdy construction withstood the fire of 1814. The vaulted ceiling seen today is a copy of the original vaulting and was built during the Truman Renovation between 1948 and 1952. One of the house's finest architectural elements, this