The White House In American Architecture

One of the great things about America is the fact that it echoes previous centuries in ways that not many people would expect. Due to its diversity, it is thought of as a melting pot because it is filled with all kinds of culture and people from all over the world. But instead of this stereotypical metaphor, America can be thought of as the place where world architecture has not died, but instead has continued to thrive in a way that makes it suitable towards modern expectations. Greek architecture has been one of the most commonly used within this context. Although it emerged almost 3,000 years ago, the application of their architecture is still widely used today in places that aren’t Europe. We can see evidence of this through America’s government and financial buildings such as the Georgia’s Chamber of Commerce, the Capitol and even more commonly known, the White House. The White House is a major symbol of the United States and when bystanders observe its white walls, they not only a building of high status among the American people, but they also catch a glimpse into the past of centuries worth of influential architecture.

The White House began construction in the year of 1792 but its typically envisioned image was far from what we see today.

It began as a country house designed by James Hoban, but throughout time, it had renovations, expansions and many additions used to enhance it to fit with the standards of the president and the ever-changing America and finally built up to of the White House that is there today. But what stuck with the original plan and is still apparent today, is the use of Greek Architecture within the plans of James Hoban. “Hoban's Georgian design reached back to Roman and Greek styles. His plan called for a rectangular, threestory structure containing thirty-six rooms. It featured a tripped roof, a balustrade, and large symmetrically arranged windows with alternating triangular and curved pediments”

(Oxford).
The Greeks were recognized for creative impacts made in the architecture world and even more known for their development of the classical order columns, the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. They were mainly used for support of ceilings but also added to the overall aesthetic of a building. These columns also featured bases, shafts and a capital that can be highly decorated, which would suggest that it is a Corinthian. The White House makes use of the Ionic and Doric columns, which are the simplest of the three orders. The front of the white house, which is the face of the building, features the Ionic styled columns without fluting, pediments above the median area and windows and even tripartite arches. “On its northern façade, resembling Leinster House, the lower level presented a rusticated central section that served as the base of four Ionic columns” (Watters 35). When looking at the similarities between the two, the Parthenon is a great example of where inspiration could have risen from. Built in 447 B.C., it served as a temple to the people of Greece. It features one of the classical orders of columns and from then on temples have served as influential pieces to modern architecture. “If the American Greek Revival could be said to have an emblem, it would be the Greek temple form, with its strong columns and gently pitched pedimented roof” (Christovich).
And although these two buildings were built centuries away from eachother, the procedure of building and designing the White House were up to par with the classical ideas in Greece, as if it were built during the climax of Greek architecture.

Hoban’s treatment of the Ionic order is also in accord with classical rules. The proportions of the architrave, frieze, and cornice and the relation of the entablature to the height of the column are all correct. The spacing of the columns on the façade, so far can be determine from the drawing is consistent with the ration of 1 module (diameter of the column) to an intercolumnar spacing of 2 ¼ modules according to the dictum of Vitruvius (Ryan 83).
Located in the center of the White House, the Cross Hall was one of the most focal and regarded areas of the White House, and also contains elements of Grecian style. It includes Doric columns without flutes and flat slab capitals. Above the columns there are triglyphs, channeled tablets, and metopes, which are rectangular pieces placed in between the triglyphs.
Although the design seems simple and classic, there are intricate details within the White House that reflect the Greek style. The fireplace in the oval office is a great example of this because although the room appears to not hold any apparent Grecian styled pieces, a closer look will show that this is merely an assumption. The fireplace, located opposite to the president’s desk, also holds ionic columns that are, of course, not the size of a real column but hold flutes and pediments.
The real challenge was not building the White House but was finding someone who would embody all the ideals that people had hoped for. Therefore, an advertisement was sent on in the newspaper that called for the best design for the President’s House. “The commissioners had hoped for a house that would bespeak ‘a grandeur of composition, a republican simplicity, and true elegance of proportion’” (Oxford). And with this idea in mind they were able to find and choose James Hoban. Thus, located on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, they were officially able to begin work on one of the most influential buildings in all of America. The building took about 8 years to complete but through that process they were able create a structure that was so rich in splendor.
Without Greek architecture, the White House may not have lived up to the expectations of what the early Americans envisioned. They wanted a building that was simple yet impressive and with the help of these Grecian elements they were able to complete this dream. Although not directly impacted, the lives of modern Americans are touched everyday by the Greeks. Their children may go round and round the white, majestic columns that support a treasury building or they may glance outside a window that holds pediments above it. No matter where you look, from a small fireplace to something as vast as the White House, the Greeks and their design were able to impact America in a way that nobody thought possible and instead created versatility within the nation’s lines.