White House

Brief information

Of the historic White House, after the mid-20th-century reconstruction, only the exterior walls remained. This is an important correction to the familiar image: what stands before us is not simply an “old presidential house,” but a building whose shell survived an almost complete replacement of its internal structure. Its exterior preserves the link to James Hoban’s design: a neoclassical residence made of Aquia Creek sandstone painted white.

The White House became the official residence of almost all U.S. presidents, except George Washington, under whom construction only began. Its political meaning grew out of the president’s dwelling: the name came to denote not only the building itself, but also the president’s administration. That is why the facade here matters no less than the interiors: it is the recognizable part of the place that remains after the fire, rebuildings, and major reconstruction.

What to notice first

It makes sense to compare three parts of the building as traces of different purposes. The main residence speaks of the original home: the white-painted sandstone and neoclassical form create the image that is easy to recognize even apart from the political context. The low colonnades along the wings did not appear for ceremonial effect: according to the original description, they concealed stables and storage areas, that is, they masked the service side of the presidential house.

The West Wing shows how the house became too cramped as a working center: the Oval Office has been located there since 1909. The East Wing is connected with a different logic: it was built above a bomb shelter that appeared next to the White House in 1942. The internal organization is also divided by function: two basement levels, two floors for public receptions, and two for the president’s family. In this way the building can be read simultaneously as a residence, an office, and a protected state facility.