Evening star., 1936-10-12
BY JOHN M. yOGT.
r WAS Saturday, October 13

Vho ooeuAuoyb eoSoA 49,
1892.
A group of Government Off
L cials, architects and private cit
liens stood proudly on knoll over
looking the placid Potomac. Brightly
colored leaves rustled under the crisp
Autumn breeze.
Horses were tethered nearby. Their
masters. grouped around in n small
circle, were watching intently the
actions of fiery young Irishman as
he deity applied a last few spatters
of cement to a beautifully cut gray
stone. He had just directed the un-
loading of this imposing stone from
wagon.
With swift maneuver 1t was
eased into place. and the White House
became officially a national institu-
ton.
That was the scene at the cere-
mony of the laying of the corner
stone nearly century and half ago.
At that time Pennsylvania avenue
was black line on piece OF paper
among LEnfant's plans for the Cap
ital City. The Capitol Building was
a few white stones placed one on the
other-construction had just begun,
Capt. James Hoban of Charleston
S. c., was the fiery young Irishman
who had just started construction on
the presidents Palace" He was the
proud winner Of a $500 prize and a
gold medal that had been offered for
the best plan submitted for the
Executive Mansion.
1t is said his plans were drawn
after the castle of the Duke OF Lein-
ster in Dublin. his native land.
The location was chosen by our
first President. George Washington
the only Chief Executive who has not
resided in its spacious corridors. Nor
was he present at the laying of the
corner stone, as many records show
1t has been definitely proved that he
was in Philadelphia when the cere-
mony was performed.
He selected the spot where his
palace" was to be erected and lived
only long enough to see it partially
completed, making his last visit to the
community he always referred to as
the Federal City" the 9th of Novem-
ber, 1799-a month before he died
1t required five years of unceasine
toll, anxiety and financial struggle to
finally finish the walls. In 1897 the
contract for the roof was let.
James Hoban must have realized at
this point that his entire life was to
be devoted to the task of erecting the
future public buildings of Washington
So, in 1900, three years later, John
Adams and his beloved wife Abigail
moved down from Philadelphia to be
the first President and mistress Of
their new home-the most-talked- -oi
private" residence in the United
States.
AS we see the home of the President
now, in its gracious beauty and lovely
setting of smooth, rolling lawns, gor.
geous flowers and stately old trees
many of them planted by the occu.
pants, it is difficult to visualize 1t a.
it was then.
The scene that greeted Mrs. Adams
when first catching a glimpse of hel
now country" home, was anything
but comforting. THAT large, naked
ugly-looking building" as Benjamin
Stoddert described it, had none of the
palatial beauty of structure and land.
scape it possesses today. Instead, she
saw old brick kilns, water pits, rubbish
and workmen's shanties.
And it was with some sarcasm that
she wrote her daughter describing hel
new home. The house Is upon q
grand and superb scale, requiring
about 80 servants to attend and keer
the apartments in proper order and
perform the ordinary business Of the
house and stable"
Mrs. Adams made use of the un.
finished rooms and is reputed to have
had her laundry hung in the great
unfinished audience ROOM"
The White House was not always a
white house. At the time of ths
Adams occupancy it was q drab bun
sandstone.
1t was after the British had in.
vaded the Capital City during the
War of 1912 and set fire to the Capito
and Executive Palace that 1t received
its present name. During the restora.
ton workmen, to erase the marks ol
the flames, whitewashed the complet.
exterior, hence its title Of today.
The words white House." however