Tag: George Washington

The White House

Sixteen-hundred Pennsylvania Avenue is among the most famous addresses in the United States. The 132-room home and workplace has also been known as the Presidents House and the Executive Mansion, but since 1902 its officially been called the White House.

When George Washington was President, government meetings were held in various cities. He and Martha Washington kept two homes in New York and one in Pennsylvania. Seeing the need for a federal city, the President and Congress agreed in 1790 to the Residence Act. This provided for a district not exceeding ten miles squareon the river Potomac. The new federal city would be designed by Pierre L’Enfant, and the city planner would hold a blueprints contest for the Presidents house.

James Hoban, an Irishman living in South Carolina, won the competition with a classic Georgian design. (Thomas Jefferson was also among the entrants; he competed under a pseudonym.) Hoban based the building on a dukes palace in Ireland.

Two states, Maryland and Virginia, ceded land for the new federal district. Both were slaveholding states, and slaves broke ground for the home. The work was completed by European immigrants. The new house wasnt built in time for the Washingtons to move in; John and Abigail Adams were the first to take up residence in 1800.

The building has undergone countless changes since the years of John and Abigail Adams. Interior redecorating and structural changes started with the next resident President, Thomas Jefferson. He ordered French furniture and French wallpaper, and he added space outdoors to conceal stables and storage. Other Presidents would make even larger additions: Theodore Roosevelt — who had six children and required more space contributed the West Wing; and FDR added the East Wing during World War II to conceal construction of an underground bunker.

Each Administrations time at the White House brought something new, but here are some of the more notable changes:

* British soldiers burnt the building in 1814 during James Madisons presidency. Most of the home and its contents were destroyed by fire. A thunderstorm saved outside walls, and Dolley Madison rescued a famous portrait of George Washington. The architect James Hoban was available for renovations.
* The White House needed an extensive washing after 20,000 muddy partiers celebrated Andrew Jacksons inauguration. Jackson soon installed running water. He also planted magnolia trees and made plans for later landscaping.
* James Garfield installed the first elevator.
* Harry Truman extensively renovated the whole house and added a second porch. He also added basements for wartime safety.
* The White House was made more wheelchair-accessible during FDRs service. A pool was also added in consideration of his physical challenges.
* Richard Nixon cemented over the FDR pool to create a Press Briefing Room.
* Jacquelyn Kennedy directed the most extensive and historically accurate White House restoration. She also planted a flower garden.
* Rosalynn Carter contributed an Office of the First Lady.

Today the White House Complex consists of six stories and 55,000 square feet of space. The Executive Residence spans several floors. Two basement levels also provide storage, service areas, and a bomb shelter for the Presidents family. The West Wing holds executive offices including the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, and the Situation Room. The East Wing is home to offices for the First Lady, White House correspondence staff, and other White House staff members.

Some of the interior is visible to the public, but tours must be pre-arranged by a member of Congress. Visitors might tour the State Floor, where several rooms are simply named by color: the Green Room, Red Room, and Blue Room. The Green Room is named for the moss green silk that lines its walls. Its used for informal meetings and photo opportunities with foreign political leaders. Famous Green Room paintings depict Benjamin Franklin, John Quincy Adams, and Abigail Adams. The Red Room is decorated like an early-1800s parlor with a marble mantel. The Blue Room is the White Houses most formal setting. Its shaped like an oval and is furnished with gilded furniture. This is where the White House Christmas tree is traditionally placed. Visitors might also see the Map Room, the State Dining Room, or the famous Lincoln Bedroom.

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The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument, which is visible from almost everywhere in Washington,
D.C., is truly a city landmark. The 555-foot tall obelisk has punctuated the National Mall
since 1884. It honors George Washington, Father of the United States, who was
unanimously elected the nations first President.

When George Washington died in 1799, Congress praised him as First in war, first in
peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen. Politicians proposed a Washington
monument in the early 1800s, but they disagreed about details. For example, should the
monument include Washingtons tomb? Would it be appropriate to depict him in ancient
Greek style? When a statue was eventually presented, people objected to the half-clad
classical Greek sort of George. Congressional quibbling ultimately led to the creation of a
private monument foundation.

The National Monument Society was formed in 1833. The members raised a considerable
amount of money within a few years, and in 1836 they announced a design competition
for the memorial.

An artist named Robert Mills submitted the winning design. He proposed a 600-foot
obelisk that would protrude from a circular base. The base and obelisk would be
decorated with statues and frescoes of national heroes, including a toga-clad George
Washington in a horse-drawn chariot. In the end, however, the obelisk would be a bit
shorter, and the artists plan for statues and frescoes would not be realized.

The monuments cornerstone was laid amid great celebration in 1848. Ceremonially, the
National Monument Society ensured that the stone was set with the same trowel George
Washington had used when setting the Capitols cornerstone years earlier. The city
celebrated that night with fireworks.

With the cornerstone set, the National Monument Society increased its efforts to fund the
project. Ordinary citizens were urged to pledge $1 each. Businesses, professional
organizations, foreign governments and Native American tribes contributed stones.
Sometimes the stone donations were engraved with messages that didnt speak to the
theme of George Washington; one block of stone read, We will not buy, sell, or use as a
beverage, any spiritous or malt liquors, Wine, Cider, or any other Alcoholic Liquor.
Engraved stones make up interior walls of the hollow monument.

Scandal erupted around a stone donation in 1854, and the entire project came to a halt.
The anti-Catholic Know-Nothing Party stole and smashed a donation made by Pope Pius
IX. They dumped the stone chips into the Potomac River. This resulted in Congress
rescinding an approval for $200,000 in memorial funds. The Know-Nothings then
assumed management of the monument society, but their legacy is unimpressive.
Everything they added to the monument was eventually removed, and no real progress
was made until after the Civil War.

Because of the cut in funding, the monument ended up being shorter than originally
planned, and without the statues envisioned by Mills. A lag in construction time also led
to stone being sourced from different quarry layers, so the coloring of the monument is
not uniform.

Work was finally completed in 1884. The monument, though short of its goal, was the
largest structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower was completed five years later. It was
much larger than the Egyptian obelisks that inspired it; these are typically about 100 feet
tall. The walls were made fifteen feet thick at the base and narrowed to 18 inches near the
top. The monument was capped with a 100-ounce aluminum pyramid. At the time,
aluminum was scarce and was valued like silver. This was the largest cast-aluminum item
in the world.

Starting in 1888, adult male visitors were allowed to travel up the Washington Monument
in a twenty-minute steam-powered elevator ride. Somehow the ride was deemed too risky
for women and children; they would have to climb the 800 stairs for a view!
Progressively speedier elevators were installed since then, and for safety reasons people
are now forbidden to use the stairs.

From the top of the Washington Monument, tourists can see most of Washington, D.C. as
well as parts of Maryland and Virginia. In March and April, flowering cherry trees can be
spotted in West Potomac Park below.

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The Massachusetts State House

On July 4, 1798, surviving fathers of the American Revolution met in Boston for the
dedication of the Massachusetts State House. Governor Samuel Adams and patriot Paul
Revere placed the cornerstone, and Revere would later roll copper sheeting for the
capitols dome. With pomp and circumstance, stone for the building was drawn by fifteen
white horses one for each state in the Union. The State House would come to be known
as one of the greatest works of neoclassical architecture in the United States. It also
boasts a prime location, sitting on Beacon Hill and overlooking the prosperous Back Bay
and Boston Commons.

When the architect Charles Bulfinch designed this graceful seat of government, he was
inspired by the neoclassical Somerset House that rose above Londons River Thames.
Architectural buffs describe the State House design as intermediate between Georgian
and Federal styles. It is chiefly red brick with white accents. It has delicate Corinthian
columns, gently arching windows, and a vast golden dome.

The golden dome has been through a few important changes. The mound was originally
covered in wooden shingles. After Paul Revere laid copper sheeting, the dome was
finished with gold plating. It was painted gray during World War II to reduce its
vulnerability to potential Axis bombers; if there had been a blackout, the governments
dome wouldve shone conspicuously in the moonlight.

The State House dome is capped with a pinecone. This symbolizes the states
appreciation for the pine tree. Early Boston architecture, including the State House itself,
relied upon pinewood from surrounding forests.

As state government grew, Massachusetts built additions to Bulfinchs work. In 1895, a
yellow brick Brigham Annex was erected for new bureaucrats offices. Two marbled
stone wings were added in the early 1900s to provide fireproofing and additional office
space. Inside the State House today are the Governors office, the chambers of the House
and Senate, and three halls.

Doric Hall is named for the ten Doric columns that line its interior. These were originally
carved trunks from pine trees, but today the columns are made of plaster and iron. Doric
Hall is home to many statues and portraits, including an 1826 statue of George
Washington. In the marble corridor just outside Doric, the Hear Us display honors the
contributions of several influential women from Massachusetts history, including
Dorothea Dix and Lucy Stone.

The Hall of Flags honors Massachusetts residents who served in battles. It displays copies
of battle flags from all of the wars in which Massachusetts regiments have participated.
(The original textile flags are being preserved elsewhere.) These include flags from the
Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Berlin, and Vietnam. The
Hall of Flags is also decorated with murals, such as The Return of the Colors, which
depicts the return of flags after Civil War combat in 1865.

The Great Hall, completed in1990, is the newest architectural addition to the State House.
This impressive, airy hall is made of tri-colored marble topped with a glass dome.
Circular patterns on the floor were installed to create a clock motif; a few years earlier,
the state legislature had acquired an extravagant $100,000 clock made in modernist style.
The room is also decorated with 351 flags from Massachusetts localities. The expansive
room is used for large state events. A statue of President John F. Kennedy depicts him
striding across the Hall perhaps to meet up with a nearby figure of Horace Mann or
Daniel Webster.

Two statues of Colonial American women stand on the State House lawn. One is of Anne
Hutchinson, whose religious teachings led to her excommunication from Massachusetts
Bay Colony in 1638. She then co-founded Rhode Island on the principle of religious
freedom. The second statue is of Mary Dyer. In 1660, Bostonians hanged her for
violating a ban against Quakers traveling in their colony. Dyers statue eerily overlooks
the site of her execution: the gallows on Boston Common. She is one of four people
known as the Boston Martyrs. Along with the spirits of Anne Hutchinson, Sam Adams,
John Hancock, and other influential Americans, Mary Dyers spirit lives on at the State
House.

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