American Truth: building the White House | News | WPSD Local 6

PADUCAH — Here is a piece of history trivia to remember and display at your next dinner party. Washington, D.C., has not always been our nation's capital. For 10 years before D.C. became the capital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, served as the nation's hub. Before that, the capital was New York, New York.

The man responsible for planning, developing and overseeing construction of Washington, D.C., was French architect Pierre "Peter" Charles L'Enfant. However, he was not chosen to build what would ultimately become what we know today as the White House.

That responsibility and honor fell to Irish American architect James Hoban. Oct. 13 marks the 230th anniversary of the White House cornerstone being laid in 1792.

Building The White House

There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms and six levels in the White House today. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases and three elevators. The details behind the history of the home home's construction is also unique.

Matthew Costello with the White House Historical Association focuses on celebrating the White House's rich history.

"The story of the White House has its origins dating back to the 1790 Residence Act. So, it would be moved away from New York City. It would only briefly be in Philadelphia, and then eventually, once the new city was built, it would be along the banks of the Potomac River," Costello said.

The cornerstone being laid is an important step in recognizing construction of the Residence.

"For anybody who's unfamiliar, when we're talking about the cornerstone we're not talking about the literal, physical stone, but rather the brass plate that would have had the dedication language," Costello said.

Architect James Hoban was ultimately selected to design and build the home instead of L'Enfant, who designed the District of Columbia.

"Hoban's design is a bit different. The original design that was put forward by Pierre 'Peter' Charles L'Enfant envisioned more of a presidential palace. Something much larger, and Hoban's plan is actually quite a bit smaller," Costello said.

Hoban was a young Irish immigrant who based his design on the Leinster House in Dublin, Ireland. The makeup of the workers who built The White House was unique for its time.

"Any given time we see the number of workers ranging anywhere from 50 people to 150 people, and it would have been a mix. There would have been enslaved African Americans, free African Americans. There also would have been European immigrants. So it really was in some ways a bit of a melting pot of early America," Costello said. 

In 1800, President John Adams and wife, Abigail, were the first to move into the still unfinished Residence.

At the time Abigail wrote, "I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. may none but wise men ever rule under this roof."

Over the centuries that followed, the home as been called the Executive Mansion, the President's Palace, and the President's Home, but ultimately the White House is what has endured.

"A lot of credit is given to Theodore Roosevelt. He issues a letter through his secretary George Cortelyou to the Secretary of State John Hay, and in that letter in 1901 he asks that, essentially, any documentation that's coming to the Executive Mansion to be change to the White House, just because it had various shades of white throughout the 19th century," Costello said.

The famous home has even played a role in modern times on the Hollywood screen and in television shows.

As for the White House cornerstone's location today? No one can locate it, despite efforts over the years, including the use of metal detectors and X-ray machines.

One theory is that it could have disintegrated over time. Another theory is that it eroded from intense heat when the British burned the White House in 1814. A third theory dates back tot he pomp and circumstance surrounding the cornerstone laying ceremony itself.

"And then there was a celebration afterwards, which I'm sure food and drink was enjoyed. Perhaps somebody snuck back to the site and made off with it. Who knows?" Costello said.

Regardless of the cornerstone's whereabouts, the home itself continues to serve as a beacon of hope today.

"The White House can be used as the lens for understanding the wider American story. And that it was a collection of people; white, black, free, enslaved, women, men, that really built this country and built the White House. So, when we talk about the White House as the people's house, we're talking about it as a symbol of Democracy," Costello added.

The White House Historical Association

The White House Historical Association was founded in 1961 at the request of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Mathew Costello, with the WHHA, said the nonprofit, non-partisan organizations works as a partner with the White House.

"Ever since 1961, we've been involved with conservation and preservation work, acquisitions, to add to the White House collection. Also a variety of different educational initiatives to teach and tell stories about the White House, the presidents, the first ladies and the people who worked at the White House," Costello said.

The White House is unique in that it is a piece of our nation's history while also serving as a working home for the president and his family.

"The funny thing about the White House is that it is historic. It is a historic site, but it's also a living history site. And as a result, because you have a current president and current head of state, head of an executive branch, living there, working there, so much time is dedicated to the person who lives there," Costello said.

"There really isn't much of an outward, public facing effort to tell more about the history of the building itself, the people who live there, who work there. So, you need sort of this public private partnership to work with the National Park Service that is our government partner, and work as an independent entity outside the government to help fundraise, generate interest and support and to help educate future generations about the history of the White House, the people who've lived there, and some of the lessons we can take away from it as a symbol of democracy and freedom and what it means when we talk about the greater American story," Costello added.

To learn more about the White House Historical Association, click here.