Evening star., 1897-03-03
The Great East Room.

lne UFe0t East Room.
The east room is the largest and finest
room In the house. 1t is 50 feet long 40
feet wide and % feet high. and is finished
and furnished in elegant STYLE 1t is dec
GRATED In white and gold. Three immense
crystal chandeliers and eight beautiful
white marble mantels surmounted by large
of the room.
Designed as banquet hail. the east room
was used for that purpose until 1877. when
1t was transformed into a general reception
room. and has continued in that use eyer
since.
The green. blue and red parlors get their
names from the general color of their dec
oratlonS and furniture. They communicate
with each other and also with the east
room The blue parlor. which is the cen
ter or the three, is the state reception room
There the President receives all foreign
ambassadors and representatives. and # is
there that he takes his stand at the So
called levees or card receptions President
and Mrs. Cleveland were married I'm this
room IN 1856. and it was there that Presi-
dent Garfield was brought when he was
struck down by the assassn's bullet In th,,
baltimore and Potomac railroad station.
the red parlor is usually the home room
OF the Presldents family. and is selected
Tor that use because of its cozy and cheer
ful aspect. Adjoining the red parlor is the
state dining room, where all the formal
uinners are given, and across the hall is
thS private ulFinS room, where the DreSi-
dental household take their regular meals
The walls of the east room and the other
parlors and the wide corridor connecting
them are adorned with portraits of all the
PRESIDENTS, and the portraits of several dis
tinguished ladies who have been mist ,.ess
there. The large conservatory containing
hne specimens of tropical, subtropical and
towering plants. adjoins the mansion ON
the west side, and is always open to visitors
on state occasions.
For the President and His Family.
The entire second floor is devoted to The
special use of the President and Lis fam
lily. The official section is ct the east end
of the building and the center portion and
the west end are devoted to purely do
mestic purposes. The cabinet room, the
Presidents private office and the Office of
the private secretary are in the south
east corner and across the hall are two
rooms occupied by the stenographers.
clerks and typewriters. who assist in the
transaction Of executive business.
The White House is the oldest public
building in the capital city Its corner
stone was laid in 1872. George Washing
ton was present at the ceremony. The
site was originally part of the extensive
fields of David Burns. one of the pioneers
of the city. Mr.. James Hoban was tie
architect of the building. Up 10 that
time his reputation was based on the con-
struction of several elegant residences on
the battery in Charleston. In his plans of
the Executive Marsion he followed the
general architecture of the house of the
Irish Duke Of Leicester In Dublin, which.
IN turn, was modelled after the Italian style
The house was built entirely of Virginia
sandstone. and its ground dimensions are
10 by SO feet. 1t stands souarely north
and south. facing the river. and has two
stories and a basement. A heavy orna-
mental balustrade runs around the caves.
The south entrance. which was originally
the front of the mansion, shows a semi
circular colonnade, fanked by two long
flights OF stone steps, The north or avenue
front has square, high columned portico
and porte cochere. Although actually the
back OF the house, as originally planned.
the north front Is now the main entrance
to the building. the entrance on the river
side now being seldom used. except by the
Presidents family. and even by them only
In the summer time John Adams was the
first President to occupy the building He
took possession in 1SOO when the plaster
Ing was still fresh and damp. Its con-
struction and equipment up to that time
had cost about $25O.O Necessary repairs
and improvements since then, together
with new carpets, furniture, etc., have made
It's cost to the nation up to the present
time nearly 2.OOO,OO0.
Destroyed by the British.
When the British troops sacked the ma
tional capital in 1914 they set fire to the
Presidents house. and 1t was badly dam
aged. 1t was saved from destruction, how
ever. by q heavy fall of rain, which ex-
tinguished the flames before the massive
walls had succumbed to the heat. Three
years later the building was restored to its
original condition. and to cover the rayages
of the fire the entire exterior was painted
white. The effect was SO beautiful, in con-
trast with the dense mass of green foliage
In the surrounding grounds. that 1t has
been found advantageous to maintain the
sanie pristine c6loring to this day, and Il
- not likely that change will ever be
made In this regard 90 long as the building
endures In Its present honorable capacity
After the fire the building was formally