Running Head: WHITE HOUSE ARCHITECTURE PAGE 6 WHITE HOUSE ARCHITECTURE White House Architecture: Washington DC Dr. Moreno/Modern Art III November 13, 2014 White House: Washington, D.C Introduction White House acts as the official residence of U.S. president. It is found in Pennsylvania Avenue Washington D.C. White House was designed using Neoclassical style by James Hoban from Ireland, and building started from 1792 to 1800. However, the architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe started planning for the outward expansion of the building to create two colonnades after Thomas Jefferson moved-in in 1801. The construction of the executive mansion was approved when Congress established the District of Columbia the capital of the United States in 1790. The architect was chosen through a competition of proposals which was won by James Hoban. Since then, the building has undergone the series of renovations (History of White House, 2012). Architectural description George Washington laid the first cornerstone of the building in a cornerstone ceremony in 1792. It is a grand mansion in the Neo-Classical Federal style , with details that echo classical Greek ionic architecture. Scottish masons were brought to DC to do the stone work. . The mansion would be covered in sandstone which created a slight problem. The masons were able to troubleshoot the issue by sealing the porous sandstone with a thick whitewash, this is where the white house first adopted it’s name. This would remain the largest residence in the United states until the 1860’s. The major White House façade which is at the north front consists of eleven bays and three floors. Ground floor is obstructed by parapet and raised carriage. This makes the façade be perceived to have two floors (Timelines-Architecture, 2007). Figure 1.0: Floor Plan Behind the prostyle portico are the three central bays added in 1830 circa and it serves as a Porte cochere. The four bays have windows that flank the portico. The first floor consists of alternating segmented and pointed pediments. The second floor has flat pediments. A lunette fanlight surmounts the center of the portico at the principal entrance. The sculpted floral festoon is found above the entrance. A balustrade parapet obstructs the roofline (William, 2008). The façade at the southern comprises of both the neoclassical and Palladian architectural styles. The Palladian fashion has been used to rusticate the ground floor, while the center façade is designed in neoclassical style that projects a three-bay bow. Five bays flank the bow, with the windows at the north façade consisting of alternating pointed and segmented pediments at the first floor. The bow is made up of the double staircase at the ground floor that leads to the Ionic Colonnaded Logia referred to as the south portico. The second floor of the bow is made up of Truman Balcony. The modernized third floor obstructed by the balustrade parapet and is insignificant a.

1. Running Head: WHITE HOUSE ARCHITECTURE
PAGE 6
WHITE HOUSE ARCHITECTURE
White House Architecture: Washington DC
Dr. Moreno/Modern Art III
November 13, 2014
White House: Washington, D.C
Introduction
White House acts as the official residence of U.S. president. It
is found in Pennsylvania Avenue Washington D.C. White House
was designed using Neoclassical style by James Hoban from
Ireland, and building started from 1792 to 1800. However, the
architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe started planning for the
outward expansion of the building to create two colonnades
after Thomas Jefferson moved-in in 1801. The construction of
the executive mansion was approved when Congress established
the District of Columbia the capital of the United States in

2. 1790. The architect was chosen through a competition of
proposals which was won by James Hoban. Since then, the
building has undergone the series of renovations (History of
White House, 2012).
Architectural description
George Washington laid the first cornerstone of the building in
a cornerstone ceremony in 1792. It is a grand mansion in the
Neo-Classical Federal style , with details that echo classical
Greek ionic architecture. Scottish masons were brought to DC
to do the stone work. . The mansion would be covered in
sandstone which created a slight problem. The masons were able
to troubleshoot the issue by sealing the porous sandstone with a
thick whitewash, this is where the white house first adopted it’s
name. This would remain the largest residence in the United
states until the 1860’s. The major White House façade which is
at the north front consists of eleven bays and three floors.
Ground floor is obstructed by parapet and raised carriage. This
makes the façade be perceived to have two floors (Timelines-
Architecture, 2007).
Figure 1.0: Floor Plan
Behind the prostyle portico are the three central bays added in
1830 circa and it serves as a Porte cochere. The four bays have
windows that flank the portico. The first floor consists of
alternating segmented and pointed pediments. The second floor
has flat pediments. A lunette fanlight surmounts the center of
the portico at the principal entrance. The sculpted floral festoon
is found above the entrance. A balustrade parapet obstructs the
roofline (William, 2008).
The façade at the southern comprises of both the neoclassical
and Palladian architectural styles. The Palladian fashion has
been used to rusticate the ground floor, while the center façade
is designed in neoclassical style that projects a three-bay bow.
Five bays flank the bow, with the windows at the north façade
consisting of alternating pointed and segmented

3. pediments at the first floor. The bow is made up of the double
staircase at the ground floor that leads to the Ionic Colonnaded
Logia referred to as the south portico. The second floor of the
bow is made up of Truman Balcony. The modernized third floor
obstructed by the balustrade parapet and is insignificant as far
as composition of the façade is considered (William, 2008).
Figure 2.0: South Face with Round Portico in 2007
Figure 3.0: North Face with Square Portico in 2009
Proposals were conducted by Benjamin Henry Latrobe which
included the north and south porticos as early as 1807.
Influences from it’s designed were said to have arose from
Château de Rastignac in 1817.
Nevertheless, due to continued lack of maintenance, some
buildings took a great toll on sandstone and brick structure, for
instance, construction of the four-story attic as well as the
addition of balcony at the second floor of south portico. The
house was declared in 1948 to be in imminent danger of
collapsing. This was countered by complete dismantling of the
spaces at the interior (Poore & Associates, 2007).
The Victorian Ornamentation that took place between 1873 and
1901 involved converting the building to a high Victorian Style.
This entailed changing the gas fixtures, glass and other
ornamentation. Gaslights were replaced with electric lights. The
TR restoration that took place between 1902 and 1904 involved
coming up with new steel structures which weakened the
building. All along, each presidential administration has
perceived the building as a museum. Very little changes are
normally made for décor and exteriors.
Due to crowding in the building, the work offices were
relocated and constructed. The west wing was expanded, and
this gave the oval-shaped office. The attic at the third floor

4. became living quarter, and the East wing was used for reception
and social events. Today, the White House building houses the
West and East Wings, Executive Residence and Eisenhower
office building (Epstein, 2007).
References
Epstein, E. The East and West Wings of the White House.
Washington: Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 2007.
House, H. o. The White House. 2012.
Poore, K., & Associates. Earth Design Associates. New Kent
County Comprehensive Plan. 2007.
Timelines-Architecture . White House Historical Association.
2007.
William, S. James Hoban: Builder of the White House. In White
House History 22, 8-12. 2008.
URL
http://www.homeworkmarket.com/sites/default/files/a5/01/09/na
me78.docx
Running Head: U.S. CAPITOL’S ARCHITECTURE
PAGE 7
U.S. CAPITOL’S ARCHITECTURE

5. United States Capitol: Washington DC
Dr. Moreno/Modern Art III
November 12, 2014
United States Capitol: Washington DC
Introduction
The building of the United States is located in Washington DC.
It is normally found on the Eastern Section of National Mall.
The capitol was designed using the classical plan, and it
resembled the Roman Pantheon that has a round domed rotunda.
The most critical feature of building is the cast-designed iron of
Neoclassical dome (Khan, 2010).
Figure 1.0: The U.S. Capitol Building
Architectural Description
The capitol's building has a central dome found at the centre of
the structure above the rotunda. This comprises of two small
wings at the north and southern parts with meeting chambers for
House of Representatives and Senate. The Capitol’s architects
are in charge of development, preservation, operation and
maintenance of the Capitol Complex.
Columns
Columns are the major iconic architectural elements throughout
the Capitol Hill building. The Doric, Ionic and Corinthian

6. columns are dominant from Supreme Court to the Capitol Hill
building. The columns give the building the neoclassical look of
the American Democracy.
Figure 2.0: Columns
Corinthian Columns
These columns were of the most sleek design, consisting of
an elaborate bell shaped capital with volutes, also two rows of
acanthus leaves and a decorative cornice. In most cases the
columns are fluted.
· The outside of the Capitol Building, including the East and
West Front portico contain these these columns. The dramatic
“Hall of Columns” located in the Capitol’s House wing is
named because of it’s 28 fluted, white marble columns that
parallel the corridor.
Materials
The architects chose the construction materials with great
caution to ensure that the Capitol remained a lasting landmark
(Klepak & Patrice, 2000).
· Sandstone was used in building the Capital since it was readily
available, particularly in the quarry that was owned by the
government, and cutting it into various shapes was easy.
Sandstone was used by the builders for the Capitol’s exteriors
and interior wall, floors and other elements. Due to its softness,
sandstone exteriors wore out easily hence needed to be replaced
with harder stones. The interior features remained intact and
visible.
· Marble was used extensively in building the capitol’s offices,
government and commercial buildings since it is beautiful,
durable and relatively easy to carve. The material was used to
make the exterior surfaces like walls, floors, stairways and
columns. Marble was also used for interior and exterior
sculptures and statues.
· Cast Iron was used for the dome and made of extensions for
roof trusses, gas lines, door trim, decorative window and

7. plumbing lines. The dome was made up of 8,909,200 pounds
cast-iron columns, girders, plates and ornaments.
Style
The buildings in US capital reflect diverse architectural styles.
These include the iconic neoclassical style art deco styles for
the capital and Jefferson library. The major responsibility
centers on ensuring the buildings are taken care of in the awe-
inspiring way in which they were constructed and conceived.
The major styles used in US capital include Art Deco, Beaux
Arts, contemporary and definitive architectures (Eckardt, 1978).
· The Art Deco style in US capitol began in 1920s and was
inspired by the Aztec and Egyptian forms characterized by
geometric forms that were highly stylized.
· The Beaux Arts style was mostly used for the library of
Jefferson. The style considers the space function strongly. It is
theatrical and ornamented in nature, and was first taught in
Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France.
· The contemporary architecture was used in building the
capital. This comprises the major defining aspects of the late
20th and early 21st centuries. The prominent contemporary
architecture used in building the capital in 21st century was that
of sustainable design. The philosophy of the contemporary
design limits the environmental impacts and maximizes energy
efficiency and usage of other natural resources.
· The definitive architectural style used on U.S. capital was
neoclassical and was inspired by ancient Roman and Greek
styles during design of the public buildings. The style is
recognizable in US capital through use of symmetrical shapes,
tall columns, domed roofs and triangular pediments.
More History

8. The actual north and south extensions of the capitol’s
dome was originally designed by a man named Thomas Walter
in 1863. He designed every ornament of cast iron to look like
stone because of it’s weight. The ceiling of the inner dome was
of a painting an apotheosis. In the painting you will see a
George Washington ascending into heaven, and the outer dome
ascending into the sky.
· The Apotheosis of Washington Fresco was created by
Constantino Bernini. Bernini actually painted George Walters in
the painting.
Corinthian Columns
These columns were of the most sleek design, consisting of
an elaborate bell shaped capital with volutes, also two rows of
acanthus leaves and a decorative cornice. In most cases the
columns are fluted.
· The outside of the Capitol Building, including the East and
West Front portico contain these these columns. The dramatic
“Hall of Columns” located in the Capitol’s House wing is
named because of it’s 28 fluted, white marble columns that
parallel the corridor.
References
Eckardt, W. The Architecture of Washington, D. C. Bates
Lowry. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 37(3)
, (1978).
"http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/architecture-
styles/neoclassical-architecture-capitol-hill"

9. Khan, Y. Enlightening the World: The Creation of the Statue of
Liberty. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell University Press. (2010).
Klepak, H., & Patrice, M. F. Toward a New Security
Architecture in the Americas: The Strategic Implications of the
FTAA (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International
Studies. Journal of Latin American Studies , (2000).