The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-13
FOR A new WHITE House
Colonel Bingham Exhibits a Model
and Explains the Design.
Needs of n More CommOdiOuS Struc-
ture DrmOnstratcd-Mrs. HarrisOn's
work for the Architects Elaborn-
tion-Prafse for Mansions builder.

The history OF the Executive Mansion
During the Century 1S0G-l90O'' was the
! subject upon which Col Theodore a.
Bingham, L. :. A, disccursed at The
| White House Yesterday. Colonel Bingham
| introduced his address with the following
| lines from Addison's Cato"
'Tis not in mortals to command success;
But we'll do more Scmpronius. Wen deserve it.
| He then continued:
MIR. President. Ladies and Gentlemen:
In the spring of 1892 the Commissioners
| of Public Buildings and Grounds. under
! the immediate direction of the President,
undertook the preparation OF plans for
| the Presidents House. The house was
occupied in November, 1900. although it
| was not then entirely completed. The
room in which we now are was not fin
| ished there was no north portico. nor
! any graceful south poriico. and the north
door was approached by narrow wooden
steps
In December. 1900. the Commissioner
| Of Public Buildings and Grounds presents
to you a plan for enlarging the Prest-
dents House.
In 1900 the population OF the country
was five and quarter millions. and there
was more than room enough in this house
for all the purposes for which 1t was
then required. In 1900. the population of
the country has increased TO seventy six
and quarter millions. and it has long
| been practically impossible for this house
to answer the purposes for which it is
intended.
IN the spring of 1897, began to study
the question of the enlargement of the
present Executive Mansion, with a view
to satisfying myself as to whether 1t
should be enlarged and, IL 30, how. As
/ became familiar with the daily life of
a President. the conclusion was forcibly
presented to my mind that he would be
more comfortable both in his private
and Official life, il both office and home
were under one roof. How, then. could
an extension of this house be best accom-
plished since there is sufficient ground
for the purpose? Five guiding principles
were adopted as necessary to be followed
in any design for an extension, not only
on account OF their own propriety. but
also to meet the wishes of the great ma
jority of the American people. These
were:
Il. The present Executive Mansion TO
remain absolutely unchanged, and, if pos
sible. not an outer door or window to be
closed up.
80. The addition to be OF such char
acter as not to dwarf or obscure the pres
emit Mansion: rather, if possible, 20 ac-
centuate 1t.
'.3. Architectural harmony to be abso-
lutely preserved.
II. The additions to be such as TO re-
lieye the pressure upon the present build
ing for, say, twenty-five or thirty years,
and permit Of still further extension in
the future as may be found necessary,
while at the same time presenting the
appearance of a finished building.
80. Reasonable expenditure.
''0f all the records l was able to find
of extensions which had been proposed in
the past to the Executive Mansion. that
prepared under the supervision of the late
Mrs. Harrison came nearest to fulfilling
the required conditions as just stated.
This plan, as many Of you doubtless
know, consisted. in I. word. of buildings
about the size OF The present house, one
on the east side and one en- the west side
of the White House grounds. connected to
the present Mansion by curved wings =
the quadrangle being completed by re-
building the conservatories at the south
end of the grounds. Perhaps the most
striking advantage of this plan is that it
quite maintains the present openress to
sun and air toward the south and south
west-a vital necessity, and preserves the
beautiful view to the south as unobstruct-
ed as it is today. Such a quadrangu,ar
plan, of course involves a large expendi-
ture for its completion, hut ii seemed
worthy OF adoption in general outline.
'.One of the conditions by which / linn
tied myself being reasonable expenditure.
which l assumed Il; about one million
dollars. study WAS then made of the gues-
ton: How much Of Mrs. Harrisons Elan
could be completed for that sum? II vas
found that the two wings. one on the east
side and one on the west side. could Prob
ably be built, though in the completed
plan these wings were intended rather as
connecting passages than for daily occu-
pancy. Study was next given to the que s.
ton. Could these wings be utilized until
such time as further addition should be
made and the wings could revert to their
intended use? A satisfactory solution, it
is thought. w3s reached.
1T then became necessary 10 have these
studies worked out. For this work. natu-
rally turned TO Air. Frederick D. Owen, the
architect who had shaped up Mrs. Harri-
sons plans and who was already f. niiliar
with the limitations which surrounded this
question OF extending the Executive Mar
sion. The results of our studies are pre- 1
scented to you today in part. In the short
time which has passed since the first of
last July. IL has only been possible to COM
plete what yol sec before you. Much 9TH
er work has been done in the study of de- |
tails, AS for instance the interior finish and |
decoration, interior steel construction, |
freproofirg heating, yentilating, refriSer- |
ating, etc. |
The plan presented to you complies |
with the five limiting conditions laid down |
at the outset. As you will observe. the |
present Mansion is left unchanged-not an |
outer door or window of a room is closed |
the extensions beginning On the prolonga-
lions Of the main corridors. Architectural !
harmony has been preserved. The main
columns used are enriched by futing. but !
this is detail which could be changed.
The same windows and castings have been
carried on in the proposed additions. Ow-
ing to the recession OF the extensions 10
the rear the present building is not oh !
scured nor dwarfed. As TO the extensions
every shape that could be
thought OF has been drawn out and studied
with the result that what you see before
you is regarded as the hest The vista. |
which the two extensions present from
New York Avenue and Pennsylvania Ave-
nue.. is fine, and in harmony with the press
ent front view of the Mansion.
Careful study vas given TO the a.. i ion
as 10 whether the extension adjoinings the
present Mansion should be of one story or
two. This question was complicated BY the
necessity for having living rooms on the
second story, under the conditions i'm
posed Of a limited expenditure. yet provid-
ing for all demands made upon the house.
II is MOI impossible that -storied ex-
tension vas originally Intended by HobaG,
the architect and builder. For. y1u will
that this house was originally