The Construction Of The White House - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations

You are advised to spend 20 minutes on Questions 28-40, which are based on the reading passage below.

The Construction of the White House

A

Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, the White House was originally designed by James Hoban, an Irish-born American architect. In 1792, after defeating eight other entrants, Hoban won a contest to design a mansion for the president of the United States. President George Washington oversaw the original construction, which began on October 13, 1792. Prior to the design contest, engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant had worked with President Washington to design the capital city. L'Enfant's vision of the president's house was four times larger than the mansion Hoban built. Labor and material expenses required Hoban to build the house on a much smaller scale, with only two main floors instead of three. In addition, rather than using the expensive imported stone of his original plan, the majority of the brick he used was made right on site. Hoban employed builders and craftsmen from overseas as well as local slaves and laborers. The total expenditure for the project was $232,372. This was just a fraction of what L'Enfant's proposed palace would have cost.

B

James Hoban's design was a near copy of a residence in James Gibbs's Book of Architecture, published in 1728. Neoclassicism, influenced by the Greco-Roman style, was the popular choice for architects throughout Europe during that time. When Napoleon became emperor, he employed the best architects he knew to transform Paris into a classical Roman capital. Roman triumphal arches and Corinthian columns adorned all of Paris's major structures. Architects in Germany built monuments, halls, and theaters inspired by classic Greek structures such as the Acropolis in Athens. The popularity of the neoclassical style grew internationally, spreading as far as America. Though the architectural styles were borrowed from classical designs, each country added a unique flair in order to achieve a sense of nationalism in its capital.

C

The house that James Hoban designed was not completed until after the second president of the United States took office. Despite the unfinished interior, President John Adams and his family moved from the temporary capital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into the president's house on November 1, 1800. Throughout his term, Adams lived in the mansion with half-finished walls, no heating, and no running water. The interior of the building was completed in 1801 during Thomas Jefferson's term. Before Jefferson moved in, he hired architect Benjamin Latrobe to install coal-burning fireplaces and two water closets. Latrobe also created two terraces on the east and west sides of the building and installed a furnace that relied on kettles and pipes in the basement.

D

Just over twenty years after the construction of the president's house began, the building was burned down during the War of 1812. After British troops torched the house on August 25, 1814, rumors surfaced as to whether the capital would be moved inland. However, the Battle of New Orleans, an encounter in which the Americans came out victorious over Britain, evoked a sense of nationalism in the country's heart. The victory inspired the rebuilding of the president's house, a task that was once again handed over to James Hoban.

E

Hoban worked on the rebuilding for two years before President James Monroe moved into the unfinished home and purchased a number of furnishings. Benjamin Latrobe, who later built the Capitol building, designed large porticos for the house with columns that supported the roof. In 1824, his south portico was completed with a double staircase leading up to the new porch. The north portico was completed in 1830 during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Though these columns give the White House its distinguishing features today, there was some criticism at the time that they overshadowed the intricate stone carvings on the house. During Jackson's term, running water was installed, though a furnace and gas lighting were not introduced until the 1840s.

F

Major renovations on the president's house continued through the 1800s, including modern innovations such as the telephone and electric wiring. A hot water system, a greenhouse, a private bath, and a number of conservatories were also added. The conservatories, including the rose and orchid houses were removed in 1902, when construction began on the West Wing. The president's Oval Office was added to the West Wing at the order of President Taft in 1909. Each succeeding president and first lady contributed to the interior and its furnishings. Inspectors ordered a full renovation of the White House after the building almost collapsed while a balcony was being added for Harry Truman in the late 1940s. During the temporary closure, all of the modern conveniences, including central air conditioning were added. The last major modification to the White House was the removal of over forty layers of paint from the exterior walls in 1978.

G

For over 100 years, the White House was only a nickname associated with the presidents' home. This term was likely related to the whitewashed exterior that stonemasons completed in 1798. The home was either referred to as the "President's House" or the "Executive Mansion" until Theodore Roosevelt formally established it as the White House soon after taking office in 1901.