The White House - Past And Present

In our capital city of Washington, D.C., perhaps  no building is more familiar than the White House, the home and office of the President of the United  States. The White House is one of the most famous residences in all the world. Generations of  Americans have cherished this stately mansion with its memories of presidents and great  events in the history of the United States. Reminders of presidents who served in the  past are all about the White House. This weeping birch tree, for example, was planted by  the wife of Calvin Coolidge, and these magnolia trees by President Andrew Jackson. These famous  views of the White House today, both the south entrance and the north entrance, are quite  different from the White House of the past. The history of the White House began in  1790 when Congress accepted this plan by James Hoban for a president’s palace.  Construction was begun on October 13, 1792. First to move into the palace in 1800 were  President John Adams and his wife Abigail. By the time Thomas Jefferson was president, the young  nation had grown stronger and there were funds available for improvements on the president’s  palace. Jefferson, an amateur architect, together with a friend named Latrobe,  designed certain additions to the building. An east wing and a west wing were commissioned by  Congress, and the president’s mansion took on the general shape by which we know it today. But the  president’s home, like the young United States, was not safe from attack. During the War of 1812,  British forces set fire to the president’s home. At that time, President James Madison and his  wife Dolley were living in the president’s home. When she fled the approaching British forces,  Mrs. Madison saved important state papers, as well as this famous portrait of George  Washington, which still hangs in the White House. The flaming torches British soldiers set to the  president’s home marked the first and only time this building was attacked by an enemy. After  the siege, only the outer walls remained of the president’s home. Yet it still stood, and so did  the American nation. During the administration of James Monroe, the building was painted white to  hide ugly smoke stains. Perhaps this is how the name White House came about. President Monroe,  however, called his home the Executive Mansion. During the sad days of the Civil War,  the Executive Mansion was the home and office of Abraham Lincoln. This room,  still in use in the White House today, was once Lincoln’s study. Here is his  specially made bed, over eight feet long. Lincoln spent endless hours in this room  pondering the problems of the nation at war. Though Lincoln did not live to see  the peace, the nation grew strong again. By the time Benjamin Harrison was sworn in  as president, the prosperity of the period was evident in the ornate furnishings that  filled the rooms. However, the elegance of the Executive Mansion was simplified by  Theodore Roosevelt in 1902. He restored the rooms of the 110 year old building to their  original simple beauty. President Roosevelt felt that simple furnishings more truly represented  the democratic ideals of the American people. Besides renovating the Executive Mansion, he  gave it a new official name, the White House. Roosevelt believed that the White House should  be the center of the president’s family life. So new executive offices were constructed in an  enlarged West Wing. Working in the new offices, Theodore Roosevelt guided the nation  through a great period of growth. But gray days lay ahead for the occupants of the  White House, especially for President Woodrow Wilson. This president was burdened with a greatly  increased workload. For during the days of World War I, the White House became a center for the  greatest war effort the nation had yet seen. For the men in the White House, the  twentieth century brought new problems and advances. President Calvin Coolidge led  the nation through some of the prosperous years of the 1920s. During the following  administration, that of Herbert Hoover, direct communication with the people  became a part of presidential life. Millions of American citizens heard  President Hoover by means of radio. During Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration,  radio communication was installed inside the White House. Later, beginning with President Truman,  activities in the White House were televised to the people. Press conferences are another means of  communication. President Eisenhower made extensive use of conferences with reporters to acquaint  the people with news from the White House. In 1949, the White House itself made  news. At the request of President Truman, renovation of the White House  was ordered by Congress. The restoration took two and one half years  and was completed in 1952. In some ways, it is a far different building from the one  John Adams moved into in 1800. For example, the greatly expanded West Wing would probably  have surprised and impressed earlier presidents. Inside the West Wing of the White House  is the room where the president confers with the members of his cabinet. Flanked by  the American flag and the flag with the seal of his office is the chair of the president.  This is the president’s own private office, where he may meet with his many advisers. Here  at the president’s desk are made many of the day by day decisions that shape the work  of the executive branch of our government. The main entrance to the White House proper is  the impressive north entrance. Distinguished visitors entering from the north are ushered  into this spacious lobby. Once inside, we see set into the marble floor of the lobby four dates  important in the history of the White House. 1792, construction. 1817, repair after war damage. 1902,  first remodeling. 1952, latest remodeling. Above these doors at the far end of the lobby is the  Great Seal of the President of the United States. The doors open into the famous Blue Room,  noted for its oval shape. Much of the official social life of the president takes  place in the Blue Room. Here the president and the first lady meet guests at state  receptions and greet foreign diplomats. Leading from either side of the Blue Room are  other rooms for social functions. On one side is the Green Room. On the other side is the  Red Room. The Red Room and the Green Room, which are similar, are also used for formal  occasions. The Red Room, another reception room, is used by the president and his  family for state functions only. From the Red Room, guests may be taken  into the huge State Dining Room. Formal and diplomatic dinners are held here. This  great dining hall can comfortably seat more than one hundred people. Here too are  memories of great presidents. For example, these magnificent gold candelabra which decorate  the great table were used by James Monroe. The huge chandelier dating from the administration  of Theodore Roosevelt is solid silver. Representative pieces of dinnerware once used  on this table by former presidents are preserved in the China Room. Here are reminders of the  presidents and their families who previously lived in the White House. This plate and tin  were part of a set used by John Adams. This service was used by James Polk, while this place  setting was used by the family of Abraham Lincoln, and this by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Also in the China Room is a  portrait of Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, one of the most gracious hostesses ever to live  in the White House. Other portraits of the wives of the presidents decorate the Oval Room,  also called the Diplomatic Reception Room. Yes, throughout all the rooms of the White House,  there are memories of the people who lived here, the presidents who guided our nation through  its proud history. In the Green Room, we are reminded not only of many historic  evenings during which the president is host, but also of the official responsibilities  of the president, as symbolized by the Great Seal woven into the rug of the Green Room. But perhaps the room most crowded with the  memories of presidents lies at the end of this beautiful corridor, the East Room. In this  magnificent room, President Lincoln’s body lay in state. Alice Roosevelt’s wedding reception was  held here, and many inaugural parties took place. The room is dominated by symbols of the American  nation. The famous portrait of George Washington, which was saved by Dolley Madison in 1814,  and a companion portrait of Martha Washington. The grand piano first used during the  administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the words of another president, John  Adams, are in the State Dining Room. “I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings  on this house and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and  wise men ever rule under this roof.” To that prayer for the presidents and their home, we, the citizens of the United States  of America, will fervently add our own.