![]() Washington, however, insisted on native material and subsequently, sandstone from Aquia Creek quarries in Virginia was used for the building.ħ. Originally, it was planned that the sandstone for the building would be imported from Europe. Hoban won a $500 prize for having secured the commission.Ħ. Hoban’s design was of a Palladian style Georgian mansion spread across three floors and containing more than 100 rooms. Irish-born architect James Hoban’s drawing was chosen out of a total nine submissions.ĥ. Before the construction began, a public completion was staged requesting design submissions for the would-be presidential palace. The north (top) and south (bottom) sides of the White House in Washington, D.C.Ĥ. By the time it was finished though (albeit partially), Washington was no longer in office and it was John Adams (1797-1801), the nation’s second president, who moved in the building on November 1, 1800. ![]() The cornerstone was laid on the October of next year and Washington was actively involved in the project during the next eight years of its construction.ģ. He was assisted in the task by the renowned city planner, Pierre L’Enfant.Ģ. The site of the historic building in the new capital city of Washington was chosen by George Washington (1789 - 97), the first US President, in 1791. Referred by many as the “living museum of American history”, the history continues to unfold at this iconic building that is the While House.ĥ0 Interesting Facts about the White Houseġ. Here took place numerous treaty signings, summit meetings and several other events of the kind that were to have huge impact on the global political scene. Every US president since John Adams and their families have made the building their home at one time or other and the history and the evolution of the building is closely intertwined with the history of the nation itself. But, loyal friend and confidant that he is, he’s not spilling the beans anytime soon.ĭesigning History: The Extraordinary Art & Style of the Obama White House will be available online and in bookstores on September 1.Both home and workplace of the president of the United States, the White House stands stately and regal at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW as an unmistakable emblem of American democracy. Rather than looking back, I continue to look forward with an eye toward the future.” One can only assume he’s referring to spaces within the forthcoming Barack Obama Presidential Library in Chicago. “When you leave, it’s a much more extreme situation than having done a house for a client. Obama and what other families may have in store for it. “When you’ve done something so intense, you’re conscious of the fact that you’re not going to be in it forever,” says Smith of his eight-year collaboration with President and Mrs. ![]() Though many of the White House interiors Smith has made over have become ingrained in the American psyche by nature of their role as the very public backdrop to some of the last decade’s most newsworthy events, he is quick to point out that the rooms are meant to evolve. And there are more than a few aha moments: Smith includes anecdotes about how he added a border trim to remedy Bush-era curtains that shrank during cleaning (who hasn’t been there?), and how he lit some of the darker spaces with LED lighting to give them greater functionality in the face of two children who had homework to do in the White House’s historic halls. Obama were adamant about using pieces that had historical resonance both in terms of style and function, and that any change made would be beneficial to future first families and White House staff-with behind-the-scenes insights about everything from color and fabric choices to the selection of strikingly contemporary art, which Smith used to modernize the spaces. ![]() There are chapters dedicated to each room’s light-handed reinvention-Smith and Mrs. The sofa is by Roman Thomas, the side pedestal table and travertine-top table are by Jasper Furniture, and the rug is by Mansour. In the Family Sitting Room, Sean Scully’s painting ONEONEZERONINE RED, on loan from the National Gallery of Art, is displayed against a wall clad in a rush-cloth paper by Crezana.
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