Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-08

ested In the Federal buildings A communities
ton from Hoban 10 Joseph Edgar, Commissioner
Of Public Grounds, dated June 10, 1929, and
carefully preserved by Maj. Mehaffey today,
dispels this rumor, however, and gives in no
uncertain terms the architects own opinion Of
the appearance Of the house without the
portico:
At have to state that portico to the north
front Is part Of the original plan Of the Presi-
dents House, according to my design approved
by Gen. Washington" writes Hoban. THAT TO
the south front has since been constructed and
the one intended for the north rs the only
part Of the entire design remaining unexecuted.
AZ regards the proportions Of the building, the
want of q portico TO the principal front Is .
defect, making the extension appear too great
for the elevation, and which nothing but
It's addition would cure"
IN this connection also it might be just -
well to disper one more theory-that Hobans
design Of the White House was merely copy
Of the Duke Of Leinster's palace in Ireland
not original This Is obviously misconception,
according TO those who have studied the two
buildings and judging from a picture Of the
Leinster palace on file in the ONCE Of Public
Buildings and Public Parks. No doubt Hoban
gained inspiration from the building in his
native country. The White House does resemble
the Leinster palace In exterior design, but
Hobans conception for the Executive Mansion
surpasses the Irish lords home In beauty Of
outline as well as in architectural detail
Just how and why the White House came by
Its present name is question that has been
answered in various ways. The mansion, origi-
nally known as the Presidents Palace" and
later the Presidents House, was not called
white House." it appears from records; until
= after the burning by the British. It's original
sandstone surface was of light gray color
similar to the stone used in the foundation Of
the famous Octagon House, and according to
Lieut. Col. Grants records it was after the
reconstruction that whitening paint was first
applied to the surface. The fire left such ugly
scars that this expedient became necessary in
order to hide its ravages, as evidenced by the
frequent orders for white lead and Spanish
whiting which appear as part of the expendi-
lures in connection with the upkeep Of the
Presidents House following the restoration.
The fact that this was probably the only White
House in the city at the time (most of the
homes being Of red brick) and that the paint
made it so wildly white gave rise locally to the
name by which it is now officially known the
world over.
Hoban's task Of designing and constructing
the White House entailed much more than
simply responsibility for the details of work ON
the building itself. It included the difficult
task of securing and maintaining an efficient
corps Of workmen, of planning the exterior
landscaping and Of supervising the removal Of
unsightly structures from the premises and
from the immediate vicinity. We read in the
Government records dated August 20, 1901 that
The Board directs that the old Market House
be removed from the Presidents square and
placed on the market square south of Pennsyl-
yania avenue near the Canal. as a temporary
aid 30 the market. expenses TO be paid by the