« 1. Empire State Building (1931) - New York, NY; William Lamb, FAIA; Shreve, Lamb & Harmon | Main | 3. Washington National Cathedral (1990) - Washington, DC; George F. Bodley and Henry Vaughan, FAIA »
photo: Carol M. Highsmith
Thomas Jefferson proposed to George Washington that a national competition be held for the design of a “President’s House.” Although many entered the competition (including Jefferson, under an assumed name), President Washington chose an Irish-born architect living in South Carolina, James Hoban. Hoban based his design on Dublin’s Leinster House, today the seat of the Irish parliament.
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blog.aia.org/mt-tb.cgi/86
This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on February 3, 2007 2:44 PM.
The previous post in this blog was 1. Empire State Building (1931) - New York, NY; William Lamb, FAIA; Shreve, Lamb & Harmon.
The next post in this blog is 3. Washington National Cathedral (1990) - Washington, DC; George F. Bodley and Henry Vaughan, FAIA.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
Comments (9)
Say didn't the Canadians set it a blaze in the war of 1812.
Posted by cohen | February 8, 2007 7:02 PM
Posted on February 8, 2007 19:02
Britians
did
Posted by Anonymous | February 11, 2007 2:20 PM
Posted on February 11, 2007 14:20
Most of the West Wing is a rat's nest but that's not what the tourists get to see, anyway...
Posted by Frobozz | February 13, 2007 5:05 AM
Posted on February 13, 2007 05:05
Three observations:
(1) The White House was indeed set on fire during the War of 1812-14 by British troops AND Canadian militia.
(2) The formal name of the building is "The Executive Mansion" and not the White House.
(3) The photo on the AIA website shows the South Portico - or back door - of the White House. The front door is the North Portico. This is a common mistake, but one would've thought that the American Institute of Architects would know better.
Posted by Captain Canuck | February 16, 2007 5:52 PM
Posted on February 16, 2007 17:52
A good building doesn't have a 'back side' - all the elevations are designed with care.
Posted by anon | March 9, 2007 6:45 PM
Posted on March 9, 2007 18:45
Britians is not a word.
Posted by allan macdonald | March 14, 2007 12:09 PM
Posted on March 14, 2007 12:09
Captain Canuck,
I have lived in the Washington, D.C. area for more than 50 years.
The 'Executive Mansion' is commonly known as 'the White House'. Everyone knows what the White House is but not necessarily what the Executive Mansion means.
Also, the back view of the White House is the most common and popular view and shows off its architecture.
The back view of the White House is the most popular tourists site to take photos.
Posted by kathy | March 15, 2007 2:36 PM
Posted on March 15, 2007 14:36
Before Teddy Roosevelt it was called the executive mansion he changed the official name to the White House
Posted by dave | March 15, 2007 5:55 PM
Posted on March 15, 2007 17:55
Before Teddy Roosevelt it was called the executive mansion he changed the official name to the White House
Posted by dave | March 15, 2007 5:56 PM
Posted on March 15, 2007 17:56