THE WHITE HOUSE IS ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BUILD 

Welcome to Election Day 2024. 

Ever wondered about the state-of-the-art facilities the President resides and works in?   The iconic White House–the one-of-a-kind residency and workplace of the world’s most powerful leader. 

Well, the President of the United States actually has a gentleman named James Hoban to thank. Surely you have heard of him.  No? 

Mr. James Hoban is the Irish Architect & Builder responsible for the design, construction and creation of the White House.   

He was an Irish immigrant carpenter and wheelwright who, following the natural progression from the building trades, became an architect. 

Ironic?  Very possibly.   

This seat of power of the world’s most powerful nation was conceived, planned, designed and crafted in great detail by the creative and genius mind of one James Hoban–a young man born and raised in Kilkenny, Ireland.  

The only walls involved were those Mr. Hoban designed and crafted with his team.  These walls would rise to become the White House–the ultimate seat of power in what would blossom into the world’s most influential nation and a bastion of freedom and possibility for the world. 

It is the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northeast in Washington, D.C. 20500 

When I look at the White House I see classic lines, elegance and power. 

On a physical level, The White House proper is 54,000 square feet in size and has been the residence of every President since John Adams in 1800.  This site for construction was selected by George Washington initially and construction took eight years.   

And yes, the future home and workplace of either Trump or Harris. 

The White House and its occupants are in the media on a daily basis and this platform has been the visual background for moments of triumph, tragedy, grief and exhilaration as our nation has moved forward over the past 200 years.  JFK’s words from this locale would inspire and move a nation and the world.  Decades later President Barack Obama’s vision for our nation would resonate out from this platform in words of hope and unity for this country and the world.   

This building was crafted, forged and constructed as a platform of hope and freedom in a then turbulent and oppressive world.  Over the course of these eight years, the White House was constructed with a vision for a new nation–standing against oppression, tyranny, bigotry.  A youthful nation, united through massive hardship and with a vision of a brighter future for its coming generations. 

The British torched the White House a mere 12 years after its initial construction was completed.  James Hoban simply stepped forward and rebuilt it.   

The nation carried on. 

The term immigrant as it applied to the newly minted United States was laughable and simply didn’t exist at this time.  All at once, no one and everyone was both an immigrant and an American all at once.  A country woven of the best human talent the world had to offer.   Creativity, genius, skill, ability, and hope knit together from around the world bound by a common reality of a better life.  Simply a decision and agreement shared by diverse ethnicities and backgrounds taking form in a powerful structured designed and built by a young carpenter, architect and builder from Ireland. 

This is the mindset and strength on which America was forged.  Albeit possibly obscured, this story of the White House resonates deeply with me. 

How did it begin?  On the 13th of October 1792, construction began with the placement of the first cornerstone for what would become thenceforth the home and workplace for the President of the United States.  The man tapped for the job of the design and building of this visionary property was an Irish architect by the name of James Hoban.   

Hoban would model the design of the White House on the famous Leinster House in Dublin, home of the Irish Parliament. 

Hoban himself was an Irish Catholic raised on the estate of the Earl of Desart, in county Kilkenny where he worked as a wheelwright and carpenter into his early 20s.  His roots were those of a builder and his formative years were spent learning these specialist crafts.  He could build and create–with his own two hands. 

And design and build he did.  With truly grand style. 

While James Hoban was instrumental in the design and construction of the White House, it’s important to recognize that the labor of enslaved African Americans was crucial in bringing his vision to life. Their contributions, though often overlooked, were essential to the White House’s creation.

Structure: 

The White House as a structure has evolved significantly since its initial construction.  The British actually nearly destroyed the structure 12 years after its initial construction in the War of 1812, destroying the interior and much of the exterior in the burning of Washington.  

Presidents since this time have added to and modified the structure significantly.   Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, William Taft and Harry Truman made significant changes and additions to the structure throughout the course of their respective presidencies (Taft added the Oval Office, and Truman extensively renovated the structure between 1948 and 1952.) 

Currently the primary building elements of the White House encompass the following: 

1. The Executive Residence.  

This is the official residence of POTUS and his family and is comprised of 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases and 3 elevators.

2. The West Wing.  

This area houses the President in the Oval Office, the White House Chief of Staff, Vice President and other executive office spaces–including the Situation Room.  (Due to their numbers, many of the Executive Office of the President staff are located in the adjacent Eisenhower Executive Office building.)

3. The East Wing. 

This East wing serves as office space for the First Lady and her staff–it was added in 1942, primarily to cover the President’s underground bunker, also known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC).

Of note: The Blair House.  Known as the world’s most exclusive hotel, this is essentially the guest house for visiting dignitaries and used by the President and Vice President to host their VIP guests.  The Blair house is actually four separate townhouses restored as one complex, with 120 rooms and covering over 60,000 square feet.   Sometimes thought of as part of the White House, this separate but related complex is located nearby at 1651 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

Hoban was responsible as well for the development of Georgetown University.   He served on the 12 person council in Washington, D.C. after it was granted limited home rule in 1802, and his son James Hoban Jr. later became the District Attorney of the District of Columbia. 

Pretty strong showing for a young carpenter from Kilkenny.   

Let’s not forget that. 

Respectfully, 

David 

Download our 2024 Cost Guide here! 

This is a cost guide we have put together to assist Boston homeowners and luxury real estate consultants in their planning and decision making.  We pride ourselves on straight talk when it comes to costing and this guide lays out projected costs for each home space based on real projects over the past 20 years.  It also covers costing connected to whole-home gut remodels across Boston.  We hope it helps! 

WHAT’S INSIDE THE GUIDE:

• 18 pages with individual project images and final costs

• Cost information on remodeling kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and more

• 2 luxury whole home renovation projects with cost breakdowns for each

• Cost summary sheet for a quick look

• Contact information if you want to move forward

NEW ENGLAND DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION CONTACT INFORMATION: 

DAVID MUNIZ SUPPLE – FOUNDER/CEO 

1. DAVE@NEDESIGNBUILD.COM

2. 617 474 0309 

AURELIAN DALLASERRA – SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER 

1. OZ@NEDESIGNBUILD.COM

2. 781 502 5006

References: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hoban 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/the-white-house/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Wing 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Wing 

http://www.blairhouse.org/about/inside-the-home 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/President%27s_Guest_House 

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/did-slaves-build-the-white-house