Journalistic Essay: The White House

The White House is an iconic structure in our nation’s history and psyche; a symbolic fixture in America’s landscape. Completed in 1801 after eight years of construction, it is a historic site of great importance located in the political heart of the United States, Washington D.C.

            Architect James Hoban spearheaded the project and is responsible for breathing life into what would become our presidents’ home. Prior to Hoban coming on the scene, Pierre Charles L’Enfant tried his hand at designing the iconic building, proposing a structure four times the size of what was actually realized.

            After the exterior was completed in 1801 it took two additional years to complete the detail work inside that would help to define it as the revered and classic structure it is. Among the elements painstakingly added were the pediments over the doors, wainscoting, ornamental mantelpieces and a distinctive row of iconic columns separated by arches across the entrance hall. It was at this same time that the parlors on the first floor were named according to the original colors chosen. The Green Room was the first to receive its memorable designation with the Blue Room receiving its name later, in 1838, and the Red Room following in 1848.

            Many of the first ladies have taken their turn in personalizing the interior of the White House. Mary Todd Lincoln most notably overshot the White House decorating budget by $6,700, a third of the allocated $20,000. The misstep reportedly infuriated her husband, President Lincoln, and set the press corps even more against her than they were before. White house historian William Seale summed up the gaffe nicely:

It is an old maxim that you can build a billion dollar highway (…) and no one will say anything but if you’re in public office and you try to change your desk, you’re going to end up on the front page. In presidential décor, one must remember the public eye is fixed on everything you do. (Green, What Will Change Look Like IN White House Décor? NY Times De c17 08)

As Seale notes, the decisions made regarding the White House’s interiors easily come under intense scrutiny due to its presence in the political sphere. This means harsher criticism is heaped on the offender for missteps like exceeding the budget or choosing materials or colors that are not appealing.  In our own homes, it is rare to run into such criticisms. Typically our friends and peers who come to enjoy our home do not arrive with an agenda to criticize the interiors. Therefore, it is evident how difficult putting a personalized stamp on such a public building is a difficult and tricky task. The shared use of the White House, as public property and private home, makes tailoring the aesthetic of the interior to the president or, often first lady’s, tastes a difficult endeavor.  Congress budgets cover $100,000 in “transition costs” for new first families. If the President’s family is to exceed that amount which most do, design decisions would be coming out of their own personal budget. It is hard to justify the cost of some custom furniture today as it is, let alone if you’re leaving it behind for the next first family.

Mrs. Lincoln was also criticized for the lavish bed she purchased for the Prince OF Wales Guest Room. Measuring eight fee long and four fee wide, it featured  an enormous headboard and large footboard lavishly decorated in grapes, grape vines and birds. Several later presidents used the bed although President Lincoln himself never did. Sadly, the Lincoln’s own son, Willie Lincoln, passed away in the bed at age eleven.

Unlike the Mrs. Lincoln, other president’s were conservative with their decorating choices. Gerald Ford chose a very dreary scheme that Jimmy Carter inherited. His oval office remained the same, earth toned design that Ford created out due to budget concerns. Despite presidents’ asserting their opinion occasionally when it came to interior design of the White House, the blame and criticism normally fell square on the fist lady’s shoulders. This happened most often when the President was well liked and therefore blameless.

            Nancy Reagan’s plan to tear down a wall in the Lincoln bedroom and her extravagant china purchase that totaled $210,399 were grounds for such criticism. Those sympathetic to her plight could very well argues there was no one, completely matching, set for the scale of entertaining required of a first lady and her husband therefore the need for the purchase of one master set was justified. Sitting down to diner in your tux and picking up a mismatched fork and knife to cut into your prime rib seems a bit inappropriate. Also in Reagan’s defense, was the detail that she used private funds to decorate. Much of the changes that needed to bed made to the interior were due to a deteriorating structure that was in great need of attention and maintenance. She her used own money to fix floors and replace hardware. And yet that did not vindicate her when it came to the public’s opinion her china purchase.

            The amount of scrutiny the decorating of the White House was subject to was due to its presence in political circumstances of each presidency. Reagan’s expensive taste was amplified by the recession  that was wracking the nation at the time. Likewise, Mrs. Lincoln’s purchases were made against the backdrop of a country at war. Lincoln’s own husband scoffed at the final bill, saying it would be in poor taste to spend such an amount on the interiors when the troops were in need of such basics as blankets. Not surprisingly there were many influencing factors that contributed to how a first lady’s design was received. In the White House the decorating choices were subject to the Congressional budgets, personal donations and the first family’s own budget.

            With a building steeped in such history taking on redecoration was a loaded task. Additional obstacles will always be the public’s opinion, the reception by the press and the political temperature at the time.  My hat is off to each first lady who had the courage to place her own mark on the White House despite the controversy and criticism that loomed close by.