James Renwick Jr. was an architect in the 19th
century United States.&nbsp; He designed many
timeless building including the Smithsonian Castle in Washington D.C. and St.
Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.&nbsp; It is
very interesting that he had no architectural background, but had a degree in
engineering instead.&nbsp; He was only 12
years old when he enrolled in Columbia to study engineering just as his father
had done.&nbsp; Renwick was 25 when he won his
first commission, in 1843, to build New York's Grace Episcopal Church.&nbsp; Renwick helped introduce the Second Empire style in the United States when he designed the Corcoran (now the Renwick Gallery).&nbsp; In his later years, he designed and built a house
for his parents in New York at 21 5th Ave., where Mark Twain resided
at a later date.The Renwick was inspired by an addition onto the Louvre in Paris.&nbsp; The design was heavily influenced by French buildings with the pavilions and mansard roofs.&nbsp; The words "Dedicated to Art" are etched into the stone that lies above the main entrance to the Renwick Gallery.&nbsp; Senator Charles Sumner dubbed the building "The American Louvre", as it put Washington D.C. on the map as cultural center.In November 2015, the Renwick Gallery re-opened its doors after a two year renovation.&nbsp; The entire museum was made into an immersive artwork gallery for the debut exhibition.&nbsp; Nine contemporary artists were given the task of turning the building into a giant work of art.&nbsp; Jennifer Angus, Chakaia Booker, Gabriel Dawe, Tara Donovan,
Patrick Dougherty, Janet Echelman, John Grade, Maya Lin, and Leo Villareal each had their own gallery in the building to create site specific artwork.

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The Renwick Gallery is a Branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum dedicated to exhibiting American contemporary craft.  The Renwick Gallery is just on the other side of the White House in the heart of historic federal Washington. This National Historic Landmark was designed by architect James Renwick Jr. in 1858.  This was the first building that specifically made to be an art museum in the United States. 

Renwick Gallery

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This short tour includes numerous landmarks including monuments and historic buildings that surround the White House. Every President who followed George Washington has lived in the White House and the grounds surrounding the mansion have served as the location for many of the nation's most historic events. Highlights of the tour include monuments dedicated to military leaders such as Baron von Steuben and early statesmen such as Alexander Hamilton. The tour also includes stops at nearby buildings such as Blair House and the Renwick Gallery.  Please note that historic landmarks near the White House are within a security fence, so those taking this walking tour in person will be limited to viewing those landmarks from a distance. 

On October 1, 1863, six members of the United States Treasury met with the intention of forming a social and literary club for the elite in Washington, DC. Within two weeks of the initial meeting, the Metropolitan Club was formed, with 43 founding members of the club, as well as an established constitution. While the club initially only consisted of members within the capitol, the Metropolitan Club began to induct members from outside of Washington, DC, a year after the foundation of the club. The club continued to grow in membership in the following years, but from 1867 until 1872, the Metropolitan Club was inactive due to the aftermath of the American Civil War. In 1872, the club was revived, and its revival marked it as the first of many private clubs to be established in the following decades.

In its first few decades, the Metropolitan Club was housed in several different locations before they decided in the 1880s that they wanted to have a permanent residence for the club. A plot of land at 1700 H Street, N.W., was acquired in 1883, and a clubhouse was built the same year. A fire damaged the building in 1904, however, and the club decided to have the building demolished as a result. From 1905 until 1908, the Metropolitan Club inhabited several temporary spaces for the club, and in 1906, a reconstruction effort for the clubhouse on 1700 H Street was put underway. In 1908, the clubhouse was finished, and it serves as the current permanent residence of the Metropolitan Club. The clubhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 12, 1995.

The Metropolitan Club is a private club headquartered in Washington, DC. Founded in 1863 by six members of the United States Treasury, the Metropolitan Club was established in an effort to create Washington, DC’s, “first literary and social club.” The current residence of the Club was constructed in 1908 and was placed on the national Register of Historic Places in March of 1995. The Metropolitan Club is still active and is as exclusive as it was at the time of its founding.

Metropolitan Club

In 1816, Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., accompanied by his
wife, Susan Decatur, moved to Washington, D.C. A veteran of both the Barbary
Wars and the War of 1812, Decatur had acquired a large sum of prize money for
his wartime efforts, and together with his wife, they bought land in what is
now Lafayette Square. As they wanted a grand house to entertain guests with,
they sent for architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe to design their home. Not long
after completion of the home in 1818, the Decaturs held several parties for the
elite of Washington, D.C., and their popularity in the area grew as a result.
The couple only lived in the home for 14 months, however, due to Stephen’s
untimely death on March 22, 1820, in a duel against Commodore James Barron. Shortly
afterwards, Susan moved to Georgetown and rented out the house over the
following&nbsp;15 years; between 1834 and 1836, for example, the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://theclio.com/web/entry?id=38351">British Embassy</a>&nbsp;rented the house.&nbsp;In 1836, Susan was forced to sell the house in order to
pay numerous debts she had incurred.

Over the following decades, Decatur House changed hands
numerous times, serving initially as a retirement home beginning in 1836. After
the death of its proprietor, John Gadsby, in 1844, his wife Providence rented
the building out. When the American Civil War began, it was commandeered by the
federal government to help with the war effort. Following the Civil War,
California General Edward Beale bought the building in 1872 and converted it
back into a home for himself and his family. Decatur House remained in the
possession of the Beale family for 84 years, until Edward's daughter-in-law,&nbsp;Marie Beale, gave the
building to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1956.

In the early 1960s, the house opened to the public as a
museum. It is now operated by the White House Historical Association and is
home to the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History, which
was opened in 2010. The Center houses documentation, supports research efforts
and provides education programs involving the history of the White House. It is
also available for conferences, parties, receptions, weddings and more.

The Decatur House is one of the last remaining creations of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, America’s first professional architect. Located in central Washington, D.C., the Decatur House is a historic home built by Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., in 1818, and it is one of the oldest historic homes in the area still standing. Designed with entertaining guests in mind, the Decatur House’s spacious quarters were lavishly furnished, and the home would change hands numerous times over the course of a century. It was converted into a public museum in the 1960s, and since 2010, it has served as the headquarters of the National Center for White House History. 

Decatur House

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a member of a military family and the son of an engineer and lieutenant in the Prussian military. Prussia was a large state within Germany and was home to one of the world’s finest militaries. After spending his youth in Russia, von Steuben moved back to Germany with his father when he was ten years old. Full of ambition and military blood, von Steuben reached the rank of officer in the Prussian military by the time he was seventeen years old. The Seven Years War, beginning in 1756, provided von Steuben a springboard into military stardom through the trials of an officer in a powerful army. Early in the war, von Steuben showed great promise but was wounded. During his service he gave all of himself in any endeavor that entrenched his station, a trait that would serve him well throughout his epic career as an officer in different armies. After being wounded von Steuben was granted the position of staff officer and quartermaster, providing him with immense knowledge of military leadership operations and strategic field management. Eventually, von Steuben earned favor from Frederick the Great and furthered his unique education in the complexities of leadership. At the age of thirty-three, von Steuben was discharged from the Prussian military for reasons that are still unknown. His patronage to the soon to be French Minister of War, Louis de St. Germain, helped him earn the title of Baron and in a few years served as his connection to the fledgling Continental Army in the American Colonies. In 1777, Baron von Steuben met with Benjamin Franklin in Paris to discuss employment in the American military. Franklin saw the promise of the renowned Baron and sent him to the Colonies with a letter of recommendation for Congressional approval. Upon the genesis of his service to the Continental Army, von Steuben acted as a volunteer officer due to the lack of funds within the new government. Within a few short weeks, he was reporting directly to Washington and training rebel soldiers at Valley Forge. Baron von Steuben quickly earned the favor of General Washington and the men within the army. Although he could not speak English, his French was good enough that he was able to communicate with some men in the army. The Baron sheltered a powerful personality, and when he arrived, <blockquote>“one soldier's first impression of the Baron was ‘of the ancient fabled God of War… he seemed to me a perfect personification of Mars. The trappings of his horse, the enormous holsters of his pistols, his large size, and his strikingly martial aspect, all seemed to favor the idea."</blockquote> The army was willing to listen to this martial eminence and he trained men by working with one company, about a hundred men, at a time. This company then went to teach other troops which allowed the training to spread quickly throughout. The teachings of von Steuben went beyond corralling the unruly army, however. He also taught the military how to properly encamp themselves and effectively communicate between ranks. His teachings were forever bound within his book, Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, otherwise known as the “Blue Book”. Some of the fundamental regulations within the book like uniforms, cleanliness, general orders, and accountability remain at the core of the United States Army today.   The importance of Baron von Steuben’s training program was evident in the small victories at Barren Hill and Monmouth Courthouse during the Spring of 1778. While these battles were not grand or decisive, both resulting in relative stalemates, the Continental Army found a uniformity to stack up against their British counterparts and once again saw the strength of their resolve. After his successful training at Valley Forge, Baron von Steuben moved South to aide Nathaniel Greene. During the Southern campaign of the war, the Baron served as a training and supply officer. His efforts along with those of the French reinforcements helped Greene surge to sweeping victories across the South and the eventual surrender of the British at Yorktown in 1781. In thanks for his service to the American cause, the Pennsylvania legislature extended citizenship to von Steuben in 1784 after he was given an honorable discharge from the military. Until the time of his death on November 28, 1794, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben remained an ally to the nation he helped free from the reaches of tyranny. He never was a rich man, but his wealth of military knowledge helped form the United States. His likeness is now eternally portrayed in Lafayette Square, just to the north of the White House. Upon the statue’s dedication in 1910, sitting President Taft said, <blockquote>“We dedicate today the last of the monuments which fill the four corners of this beautiful square and which testify to the gratitude of the American people to those from France, from Poland and from Prussia who aided them in their struggle for national independence.”</blockquote> In a city of monuments and great stone buildings, Baron von Steuben and his martial legacy is eternalized in the capitol that his efforts help establish.

This statue commemorates the military service of Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben of Prussia, who served as an ally of the colonial rebels against the British during the American Revolution. Baron von Steuben is known for establishing training and regulations within the fledgling U.S. Army and bringing a new professional identity to the American military. His work with General George Washington was essential in turning the tide of the Revolutionary War. With a forceful personality and immense knowledge of military tactics, he was a successful leader in different militaries around the world.  Without his efforts, the American military could not have succeeded in freeing the colonies.       

Baron von Steuben Statue, Washington DC

In 1834, Matthew St. Clair Clarke, former clerk of the House of Representatives, purchased the lot on H street on which the present house is situated. By 1836, Clarke had built the house, a four-story brick structure, at the then-extravagant cost of $63,000. Within a few years, pioneering journalist Joseph Gales, owner of the capital's National Intelligencer newspaper, bought the house from Clarke. Ashburton House was the site of negotiations which resulted in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. In 1842, Gales rented his house to Secretary of State Daniel Webster. Webster in turn offered the house as temporary lodgings to the Englishman Alexander Baring, known as Lord Ashburton, who had been sent by the UK government to try to negotiate a treaty that would settle the U.S.-Canada border dispute once and for all. The Aroostook War Although the incident is largely forgotten today, as America’s relationships with both Canada and the UK are now extremely friendly and stable, in the 1830s tensions between the northeastern United States and Canada (and by extension the UK, which ruled Canada at the time) became extremely high, due to an ongoing quarrel over territory. The famous historian Samuel Flagg Bemis has written that this dispute between the two countries was "one of the gravest and most inveterate diplomatic issues of the United States in the generation following the War of 1812." The problem was that the poorly-worded Treaty of Paris of 1783, which ended the Revolutionary War, had failed to resolve the matter of the borderline between the northeastern U.S. and Canada. The parts of America that were at issue were the States of Massachusetts and (particularly) Maine; the parts of Canada that were at issue were the provinces of New Brunswick and Lower Canada (present-day Quebec). There occurred, in the border areas, increasingly aggressive actions by people on both the American and Canadian sides that seriously threatened war. Canadian lumberjacks entered the disputed, timber-rich Aroostook area in the winter of 1838-1839, and seized the American land agent who tried to expel them. New Brunswick officials arrested some Americans as well. In March 1839, British troops moved from Quebec to the American side of the Aroostook, known by the Indian name of Madawaska. The Maine legislature immediately sent 10,000 men into the disputed Aroostook Valley. The US Congress authorized a force of 50,000 men and appropriated $10 Million to respond to this crisis. The hero of the Mexican-American War, Gen. Winfield Scott, managed to negotiate an uneasy truce with the British negotiator, Sir John Harvey, until a settlement could be reached. Although this international incident has ever after been known as The Aroostook War, it was not a war at all, as there were no combatant deaths or injuries on either side. The Negotiations at the House It was a change of government for both the U.S. and the U.K. that helped avert a possible third war between the two countries (following the Revolution and the War of 1812). Martin Van Buren was replaced as president by William Henry Harrison and, after the latter’s untimely death, by John Tyler, who was much more amenable to negotiating with Britain than Van Buren had been. In the U.K., Lord Aberdeen had replaced the much less America-friendly Lord Palmerston as Foreign Secretary. U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster contacted his British counterpart to convey that the U.S. government was open to negotiating the dispute regarding the Canadian border, and Alexander Baring, known as Lord Ashburton, was appointed plenipotentiary and sent to America to negotiate with Webster and resolve the crisis. For 10 months in 1842, Joseph Gales rented the house on H Street to Daniel Webster, who provided it as accommodations for the English delegation, including Lord Ashburton. Ashburton during this period quite amicably negotiated with Webster most of the details of what came to be known as the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. Representatives of the States of Maine and Massachusetts were also present and took an active part during the negotiations, as their final boundaries were at stake. However, it was definitely not “all work and no play” for the negotiators, since lavish dinners and dances were held at the house, during which the talks proceeded apace. As a result, the Canadian boundary line from Lake Huron in the east to Lake of the Woods in the midwest was definitively settled. (In the treaty, both Britain and the U.S. also agreed to set up a joint squad of ships off the coast of Africa to suppress the slave trade.) Subsequent History The house served as home for British diplomats between 1949 and 1852 and came to be known as the British Legation. The house was next owned by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and in the 1870s, it was renovated in the French Empire style. Colonel William Freeman, who served as Assistant Attorney General from 1853-56, also owned the house at one point; Freeman added the present mansard roof and large stone frames around the windows. Other owners of the house included the American Federation of Labor, which sold it in 1954 to neighboring St. John's Episcopal Church, known as the church of the presidents. When St. John’s Church took over the space in the 1950s, they remodeled the third and fourth floors as office space and built a connection between church and parish house as well as an elevator. Authentic period details of the house that remain include six marble-mantled fireplaces and one wood-mantled one, and four floor-length marble columnns on the first floor. The lintels above the doors, the stair railings and the ceiling trim are also considered authentic. The house contains a basement with a dining area, kitchen and meeting rooms. It is currently used by the parish house of St. John’s as a meeting space, a nursery, and as the setting of the church’s weekly parish lunch.

This four-story brick house was originally constructed by Matthew St. Clair Clarke between 1834 and 1836. The house's special place in U.S. history has to do with a longstanding feud between several northeast U.S. states and the U.K. government, which ruled Canada at the time, over territorial disagreements. Ashburton House was the site of negotiations that went on for 10 months, led by Ashburton and Webster, which resulted in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. Today, St. John's Episcopal Church, known as the church of the presidents, uses the building as its parish house and holds many of its events at the site. The Ashburton house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

Ashburton House (St. John's Church Parish House)

St. John's Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. is a historic church that has served as an important landmark in the area since construction began in 1815. The church held its first service on October 27, 1816 and was consecrated on December 27, 1816. The building exterior is made from stucco-covered brick in a distinctive yellow color. It was originally designed in the Greek Classical style by Benjamin Latrobe, the architect famous for his work on the Capitol, White House, and Decatur House. Subsequent additions, such as an 1820 extension and the addition of a triple-tiered steeple, have altered the Latrobe's plan, but the original structure remains recognizable. &nbsp; St. John's has long been known as "the Church of the Presidents," as every sitting president since James Madison has attended services here. Pew 54 is the President's pew, which is reserved for the POTUS when in attendance at the church, a tradition which began with Madison in 1816. In the pew is an 18th-century prayer book featuring the 
autographs of many of the Presidents. St. John's also has strong ties with the African American community. The second Rector of St. John's, Reverend William Hawley, baptized and 
married African Americans of all legal statuses during his leadership of the Church 
from 1817 to 1845. In the late 1860s, the Rector of St. John's worked with a group of 28 African Americans to establish Mary's Chapel for Colored People in Foggy Bottom. During the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, St. John's rector—Rev. John C. Harper—held a special service of prayer open to all races; the event was attended by 700 congregants. Notable features of the church includes the nearly-1,000 lb steeple bell cast by Joseph Revere at his Boston foundry in 1822. It is one of two Revere bells in Washington, and the only one to remain in continuous service since its installation. St. John's is also famous for its 25 stained glass windows, which were designed and produced by the Lorin Stained Glass Windows firm of 
Chartres, France in 1883. Inside St. Johns are a number of works of art. These include two sculptures by Jay Hall Carpenter, a brass chapel cross, and Ascent Into Heaven, a 3/4 lifesize bronze sculpture. Amongst its other treasures are a silver chalice and a gold, jewel-encrusted communion chalice. St. John's Episcopal Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966 and has been a National Historical Landmark since 1960. Today, the church continues to conduct regular services and serve the D.C. community. Tours are available after most Sunday services and also by reservation. Adjacent to the church is another well-known historical landmark in Lafayette Square, the Ashburton 
House, which now serves as St. John's Parish House.

Built from 1815 to 1816, St. John's Episcopal Church was the second building to be constructed in Lafayette Square. Known as "the church of the Presidents," every sitting president since James Madison has attended services at St. John's. Notable features of St. Johns include the nearly-1,000 lb steeple bell, cast by Paul Revere's son, and 25 historic stained glass windows, produced by Lorin Stained Glass Windows. The adjacent Parish House is also a National Historic Landmark.

St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square

General Tadeusz Kosciuszko was born on February 4, 1746 in Mereczowszczyzna, Poland and passed away October 15, 1817 in Solothurn, Switzerland. He gained most of his fame for the role that he played in the American Revolution and he was also a decorated army officer in his homeland of Poland. For his early life, he grew up in a noble family and attended the military academy in Warsaw. His success at this school attracted the attention of the King, and he was then sent to Paris to further his military education. Once he returned home in 1774, he was instructed to be a mathematics instructor to a high ranking generals daughter. Eventually, he fell in love with one of the daughters, Ludwika, and tried to get her to elope with him. To avoid further conflict he fled to France. Then, in 1776 he traveled to the Colonies to help fight for their independence from Great Britain. He was sent to Pennsylvania to help plan fortifications to protect the Continental Congress. Since he excelled at this, he was then promoted to engineer colonel. Then, in 1777 he was he was transferred to the army of General Horatio Gates at Fort Ticonderoga, in upstate New York. He was very active in Gates's and worked to close all roads that were along the Hudson River. This contributed to the success of General John Burgoyne against enemy forces at Saratoga. Once this was done, he spent the following couple years helping to fortify West Point. For his excellent work, he was then promoted to chief of the engineering corps. For his part in the war effort, he was given citizenship to the new United States and was also made a brigadier general in the US Army. After the end of the Revolution he returned to his homeland of Poland. When he was home he was not allowed to join &nbsp;the military due to his past trials with the general he used to work for. He lived in poverty on a small estate for the next five years of his life. He was only able to join the military again after there were reforms to the country and once he had protection from his former lover, Ludwika. Once back in the military he was given the rank of general major and once again found himself in love an eighteen year old noblewoman. He would once again try to get her elope, but just like before, he father wouldn't let this happen. After this happened, he began different conquests that included Prussia, Russia, and eventually he was taken captive as a prisoner of war.&nbsp; When the general was released from the prison in 1797, he traveled back to the country in which he helped to&nbsp;gain its independence, the United States. He arrived in Philadelphia and was greeted by a crowd of people. During his time back he found himself going to different social events and sticking around with different social groups. He ended up becoming close friends with then Vice President, Thomas Jefferson. He then secretly left the States as he found out that there might be some possibility to help promote Poland in their cause in France. Before he left however, he gave instruction for his slaves to be freed and they were to educated. After his different failures throughout the years in France and talks with Napoleon, the General eventually died in 1817. He was buried within the kings tombs within the cathedral and true to custom, a huge mound was erected to preserve his memory.&nbsp;

Thaddeus Kosciuszko was a general during the American Revolution. He arrived in the colonies from Poland in 1776, first working as a civil engineer and then rising in ranks in the military. His contributions as a military leader helped the Continental Army win a few major battles, including the Battle of Saratoga. For his efforts, Kosciuszko was memorialized in a bronze statue in Lafayette Park. The statue was erected by the Polish National Alliance of America on behalf of Polish citizens in the United States. The 10-foot tall sculpture was designed and created by Antoni Popiel and dedicated by William Howard Taft on May 11, 1910. 

General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Statue

This Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company Bank was established by the United States Congress on March 3, 1865, to help aid ex-slaves transition to freed citizens. The initial idea for the savings bank was to benefit African Americans who were compensated for their services in the Civil War and needed a safe place to deposit their money. However, John W. Alvord, a congregational minister, and abolitionist advocated Congress for the savings bank to instead help all emancipated slaves transition to freedom and be integrated into the economic system. Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner brought a bill before Congress to have the bank secured by the federal government. President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the “Act to Incorporate the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company”. The charter allowed low-risk investments and no loans. Between 1865 and 1871, the bank expanded to thirty-seven branch offices in seventeen states and the District of Columbia. Printed on the bank materials was “on temperance, frugality, economy, chastity, the virtues of thrift &amp; savings”. In 1867, the bank’s headquarters was moved to Washington, D.C. Eventually, Congress loosened the regulations and allowed loans and higher-risk investments.  The bank brought promise to the African American community at first, but then it failed miserably. The Panic of 1873 and other series of breakdowns caused the bank to collapse. Contrary to the proposition that the bank was secured by the federal government, it did collapse in June 1874. The branches also closed, and many African Americans lost their account balances. At the time of closing, $2,993,790.68 was due to 61,144 account holders. This event caused a major rift in the economic development of African Americans.  Because of its existence, the bank records provide valuable information for African American history. The bank records hold information on ex-slaves that include birthplace, residence, age, employer, family members, and former slave owners and names of the plantations. The information can be found at the National Archives and is used by the genealogical websites.  The institution was created with good intentions, but it was damaging to the population it was trying to advance. The failure hindered growth and prosperity for many African Americans after the Civil War. The Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company Bank is a crucial advancement in African American History. The U.S. Department of Treasury Annex is now located on this site.

Located near the west entrance to the US Treasury Annex Building, this historical marker designates the location of the  Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, which was located here from 1865 until its dissolution in 1874. The bank was established by the government as part of the Reconstruction era effort to help formerly enslaved persons by creating a banking institution intended to serve their needs in an era when few other banks were willing to do so. The bank was chartered by the federal government but like many other banks, of the era, it lost money in the Panic of 1873 and became insolvent which caused substantial losses for its account holders. The law that created the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company was signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1865. The bank building was demolished shortly after the government sold the property in 1882.  

Historical Marker- Freedman's Savings and Trust Company

Marquis de Lafayette was born on September 6, 1757, in the town of Chavaniac, France. He lived until&nbsp;May 20, 1834, when he passed away&nbsp;in Paris. This French aristocrat came to America and&nbsp;fought alongside the colonial rebels&nbsp;during the American Revolution. Lafayette was a strong supporter of constitutional monarchy in France and was a leader in the French Revolution.&nbsp;&nbsp; Born into a wealthy family but orphaned as a teen, Lafayette was raised by servants and lived among the members at the court of King Louis XVI. When Lafayette arrived in Philadelphia in 1777, he had no combat experience. Owing to his noble birth, he was appointed as a&nbsp;major general which gave him access to influential colonial leaders including George Washington. &nbsp; Washington was impressed with Lafayette and following his success at the&nbsp;Battle of Brandywine in September of 1777, the French aristocrat was appointed to lead a division. In 1779, Lafayette returned to&nbsp;France as a diplomat where he worked with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams and convinced the leaders of France to increase their&nbsp;aid the colonies. When he returned to the Americas, he announced that France was sending ships and&nbsp;6,000 troops to help the colonists. Lafayette was hailed by the Americans as a hero for his efforts during the war and&nbsp;named an honorary citizen in 1784 when he returned to the United States for a visit.&nbsp; Lafayette returned to the United States in 1824 and was greeted by thousands. The seven-acre&nbsp;public park north of&nbsp;the White House was renamed Lafayette Square in honor of his visit.&nbsp;During this visit, Lafayette paid his respects to&nbsp;his former friend George Washington by visiting his grave. He also visited Monticello to see Thomas Jefferson. Lafayette became the first foreigner to address the House of Representatives. Several American&nbsp;cities have been named in honor of Lafayette. At the time of his death, Lafayette asked that soil from Bunker Hill be shipped to France so that he could be buried in both French and American soil.&nbsp; Lafayette Square was conceived as part of architect&nbsp;Pierre L'Enfant's original design for Washington, D.C.&nbsp;a racetrack, a cemetery, a zoo, a slave market, an encampment for soldiers during the War of 1812, and the site of celebrations and&nbsp;political protests.&nbsp;After the area was redesigned in 1851 in its&nbsp;picturesque&nbsp;style,&nbsp;a statue of President Andrew Jackson on horseback that preceded Lafayette's statue. In April&nbsp;1891, a 10-foot sculpture of Lafayette, standing atop&nbsp;a 15-foot base, was placed in the square bearing his name.&nbsp;The artist, Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguiere of France, depicted Lafayette as advocating for American independence&nbsp;to the French National Assembly. He wears a long coat, vest, boots, and a wig, rather than a military uniform. Surrounding him are important figures that are either historic or figurative. On the west side is&nbsp;Comte de Rochambeau and the Chevalier du Portal, French army&nbsp;commanders, with a symbolic cannon at their feet. On the east side is&nbsp;Comte d'Estaing and Comte de Grasse, French naval commanders, with a symbolic anchor at their feet.&nbsp;In front of Lafayette sits America, personified as woman offering the major general a sword. On the back of the base, two cherubs kneel below a sign thanking Lafayette for his service: <blockquote>BY THE CONGRESS IN COMMEMORATION OF THE SERVICES RENDERED BY GENERAL LAFAYETTE AND HIS COMPATRIOTS DURING THE STRUGGLE FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA&nbsp;</blockquote> City leaders decided that Lafayette's statue should be joined by statues of other Europeans who fought on behalf of American independence. He is joined by the likes of&nbsp;Comte Jean de Rochambeau&nbsp;of France,&nbsp;Brigadier General Thaddeus Kosciuszko&nbsp;of&nbsp;Poland, and&nbsp;Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben&nbsp;of&nbsp;Prussia.

This statue was created to honor Marquis de Lafayette, an important ally in the American Revolution. It was installed in 1891 in Lafayette Square, named for the major general in 1824. In 1951, French president Vincent Auriol visited Lafayette's statue and placed a wreath at the foot of the statue. 

Marquis de Lafayette Statue

<blockquote>"Mr.
President, how long must women wait for liberty?"</blockquote>

On
January 10, 1917, women of the National Woman’s party began a protest in front
of the White House that would last for more than two years. They stated their message
through their silence and the declarative phrases on the large banners they
carried. Called the “Silent Sentinels,” the picketers advocated for women’s
suffrage, facing harassment, arrest, and imprisonment until the Nineteenth
Amendment was passed on June 4, 1919.&nbsp;The activism of the Silent Sentinels is&nbsp;part of a longer history of organized
women’s rights advocacy, beginning with the first women’s rights convention
held at Seneca Falls in 1848 and continuing to this day.

Before the Nineteenth Amendment, states decided who had the right to vote. When the United States was formed, all states prohibited women from voting. Through the women's&nbsp;suffrage movement beginning in the nineteenth century, women gained the right to vote in some states, but the United States&nbsp;Constitution remained unchanged. Groups such as the
National Woman’s Party advocated for such a change to allow universal suffrage for women.&nbsp;The National Woman's Party&nbsp;(NWP) was founded in 1913 by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns
after the Woman Suffrage Procession, a march down Pennsylvania Avenue in
Washington, D.C. that Paul successfully organized. Women’s rights groups used a
variety of tactics to advocate for their cause. The women of the NWP preferred nonviolent
yet dramatic tactics such as petitions, parades, speeches, and pickets along
with lobbying to Congress and the President. On January 9, 1917, group of NWP
members met with President Woodrow Wilson, who suggested the women “concert
public opinion.”1 The NWP knew it was time to make a bolder statement to both
the President and the public. The following day, January 10, a group of twelve
women led by Alice Paul stationed themselves at the east and west entrances of
the White House. There, they stood silently and held banners with clear and
direct statements, often cleverly using Wilson’s own words. Their location,
their silence, and their banners were carefully planned rhetorical strategies
of the NWP to demonstrate their commitment to the cause.

The picket
continued six days a week, usually with no more than twelve women at a time. As
intended, their methods caught the attention of national press, which
stimulated a variety of responses. Some praised the women’s dedication, as one
woman wrote, “I believe that each day those
banners are unfolded visualizing woman's demand for ‘liberty’ there is being
released through that simple act great spiritual forces which are sweeping our
country from coast to coast.”2 Some fellow suffragists agreed with the cause
but disagreed with the methods, arguing the NWP, though nonviolent, was still
too militant and unladylike or should focus on state advocacy. Some people opposed
the cause all together. On a day
to day basis, the picketers faced harassment and violence from men on the
street and received no police protection. 


















<blockquote>"We
shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—for
democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in
their own governments." – banner quote&nbsp;taken from Wilson’s address to Congress on April
2, 1917.</blockquote>

The
NWP picketers were highly aware of current events, which they rhetorically
incorporated into their messages. The largest demonstration of the Silent
Sentinels took place on March 4, 1917, Wilson’s second inauguration, when 1,000
women marched around the White House. The picketers created banners referencing
current events such as Independence Day, Bastille Day, the 1917 Immigration
Act, and World War I. Unlike during the Civil War, when most women’s rights
activists suspended their work in favor of the war effort, the NWP continued their
protest. Banners used patriotic terms and phrases to link the suffrage movement
to the national fight for democracy. One banner claimed that the United States
was not a democracy due to female disenfranchisement, which caused a flurry of
negative press along with the first arrests of picketers in June. President
Wilson at first ignored the picketers, though as arrests and violence against
them intensified, he would soon have to intervene.

When
arrested and jailed, the picketers sustained their Silent Sentinel identities. At
Occoquan Workhouse (now Lorton Correctional Complex) and the District Jail, they
staged hunger strikes and refused President Wilson’s pardon, arguing that
accepting pardon would be an admission of guilt. The women were subjected to
unsanitary conditions, force-feedings, harassment, and occasionally solitary
confinement, as in the case of Alice Paul, who was arrested in October 1917 and
placed in jail by her own request. Violence against the women mounted on November
14, 1917, at Occoquan Workhouse, where the superintendent and forty of his
guards violently beat the picketers. Called the Night of Terror, the event was
heavily publicized by NWP members outside of jail while protest among inmates
continued.

With
increased press coverage, President Wilson released the picketers from jail on
November 27. On January 9, 1918, President Wilson made his first public
declaration in support of a women’s suffrage amendment. The picketers’ arrests
were declared unconstitutional in March. Throughout the next year and a half, the
suffragists continued their fight for the amendment, with support of the
President, while Congress struggled to pass legislation. The House and Senate
introduced amendment legislation, but it was defeated in the Senate in October
1918 and February 1919. The NWP responded with watch fire demonstrations and burning
Wilson’s speeches and effigy. The House passed the amendment on May 21, 1919, followed
by the Senate on June 4, 1919. With this victory, the NWP led a sweeping
ratification campaign across the nation. They needed at least 36 state
legislatures to ratify the amendment before it became law. On August 26, 1920,
the Nineteenth Amendment became law. Women voted for the first time on November
2 of that year.

The
Silent Sentinels’ public activism compelled President Wilson and Congress to support
women’s suffrage. By the end of the picket on June 4, 1919, around 2,000
individual women participated. They demonstrated commitment to their cause by
standing outside the White House in silence, enduring public harassment and
violence, continuing other campaigns in the NWP offices, and continuing their
protest in jail. Women continued the fight for equality long after the Nineteenth
Amendment. &nbsp;Black women, restricted from
voting in Southern states, fought for suffrage into the 1960s. Alice Paul proposed
the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923 and continued to fight for it until it
passed in 1972. The Silent Sentinels remain a powerful image for the women’s
rights movement.

The Silent Sentinels were members of the National Woman's Party advocating for women's suffrage. They picketed outside the White House for six days a week from January 10, 1917 to June 4, 1919, the day the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in Congress. They received the nickname "Silent Sentinels" for choosing to remain silent while picketing, the words on their banners and their stoic nature making the most powerful statements. They were subjected to harassment and violence while picketing and were later arrested and jailed. President Woodrow Wilson released them from jail and publicly supported women's suffrage for the first time in 1918. Their work help lead to the passing and ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and contributes to a larger history of women's rights in the United States.

Silent Sentinels Picket for Women's Suffrage (1917-1919)

French architect Pierre L'Enfant created the blueprint for the federal city that became Washington D.C., but he and President George Washington held very different views about the design for what would later be known as The White House. L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the city was based around a central palace that mirrored the grandeur of the dwellings of European heads of state. Believing that America's Executive Mansion should better reflect republican principles, Washington dismissed L'Enfant's plan and held a design competition.Hoban, an Irish-born and architect who was living in Charleston, South Carolina,&nbsp;won the competition to create the Executive Mansion. Hoban's inspiration for the house was drawn from an Anglo-Irish villa called the Leinster House in Dublin. A second competition was held to determine the design of the nation's capitol. It is&nbsp;believed that Thomas Jefferson, who designed his own home of Monticello,&nbsp;entered the competition&nbsp;under a pseudonym. If this is the case, Jefferson's designs were not selected in either competition.&nbsp;Construction of the President's home began in 1792. Attempts to&nbsp;recruit skilled workers to the project proved difficult because the capitol was located in a sparsely-settled area. As a result, most of the labor was performed by slaves and&nbsp;free men of color who had fewer employment options. Stonemasons and carpenters trained enslaved people to perform necessary tasks to assist the small number of skilled laborers who joined the project. Slaves also built many of the other buildings throughout the new federal city. According to a letter from First Lady Abigail Adams, who lived in the Executive Mansion while it was being completed, the slaves who worked on the home were "half fed, and destitute of cloathing." She opined that the work could be performed more&nbsp;efficiently&nbsp;by free laborers from New England.&nbsp; Jefferson defeated Adams in November, 1880, the same month that Abigail Adams wrote about the failure to complete the Executive Mansion. While President, Jefferson personally oversaw some of the construction and ordered&nbsp;several structural changes with the help of&nbsp;architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Jefferson's changes&nbsp;included the addition of terrace-pavilions on either side of the main building and single-story wings for storage. In addition to replacing the slate roof with one of sheet iron, Jefferson further improved the grounds by landscaping them in a picturesque manner.&nbsp;The British set the mansion on fire&nbsp;during the War of 1812. James Madison was President at the time and his wife, Dolly Madison, famously saved artwork including a portrait of George Washington. Despite the British efforts to destroy the building, mother nature had other plans. As British sought shelter from a&nbsp;summer thunderstorm, their fire was extinguished. The interior of the White House had been destroyed, but the&nbsp;outside walls and the interior brick walls survived. Madison brought Hoban back to restore the mansion, a process&nbsp;which took three years. It was during this period of&nbsp;reconstruction that the house was painted white. Hoban later added the South and North Porticos, using a similar design that had been created by Benjamin&nbsp;Latrobe.Expansion and further alterations were made when President Theodore Roosevelt declared the house unsafe to inhabit and had the original building remodeled. Roosevelt desire to separate his workspace from his family life and did so by making the third-story attic into habitable rooms and adding the Executive Office wing and the East Gallery. In 1909, architect Nathan C. Wyeth extended the West Wing,&nbsp;adding the well-known Oval Office, the President's formal workspace. Although referred to as "The White House"&nbsp;since the time of its construction when its exterior walls were covered with protective whitewash,&nbsp;President Theodore Roosevelt made "The White House"&nbsp;the mansion's official name in 1901.&nbsp;In the mid-twentieth century, the White House underwent
several&nbsp;renovations to improve its structural soundness and historic
appearance. In 1949-1951, the&nbsp;building was determined unsafe after years
of&nbsp;maintenance neglect. The restoration involved replacing the original
frame and paneling with steel, along with adding a balcony to the South
Portico. In the meantime, President Harry Truman relocated to the
neighboring&nbsp;Blair House, also known as the President's Guest House. These
decades also saw increased security and technological integration. Truman
welcomed news crews to the White House in the 1950s after the restoration was
complete. When John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy moved into the White House in
1961, the stylish and artistically-minded First Lady refurbished the living
quarters and publicly accessible spaces with antique furniture, art, and
artifacts. She developed a Fine Arts Committee to collect art and Americana and
an advisory committee that drafted a treatise on the restoration philosophy.
The White House, according to these plans, was both a symbol and functional
structure with a “living” character. They chose décor to reflect a multitude of
time periods and administrations. Later that year, the White House was declared
a museum and Lorraine Waxman Pearce was hired as the first curator of its
collections and history. Jacqueline Kennedy also brought this history to the
public through magazine articles and a televised tour of the White House in
1962. Lyndon Johnson’s administration continued this work by establishing the Committee
for the Preservation of the White House to advise historical preservation,
collections acquisitions, and design.




















Since the 1960s, the White House has continued to add to its
historical collections while integrating modern technologies to the building. White
House staff began using computers in the 1980s and the first emails were sent
in 1992. In 1979, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the White House roof,
though they were removed in the 1980s as Reagan’s administration promoted fossil
fuels. Solar panels returned under George W. Bush in 2003 and more were added
under Barack Obama in 2013. Despite modern renovations and the addition of
security measures following the terrorist attacks of&nbsp;September&nbsp;2001,
citizens can still tour the White House with advance registration through their
Congressional offices. In this and in many other ways, the White House remains&nbsp;an
architectural symbol of the American presidency and&nbsp;the&nbsp;republican
ideals of the Founders. 
 
The White House&nbsp;Visitor Center is&nbsp;located just west of the corner of
15th and E Streets, is open daily from 7:30 am to 4 pm. Inside this temporary
visitor&nbsp;center&nbsp;there is an information desk, a 30-minute movie on the
White House,&nbsp;Where History Lives,&nbsp;and the White House
Historical Association gift shop.

Designed by architect James Hoban and built in coordination with George Washington and other American leaders, the Executive Mansion is known informally around the world as "The White House." Although President Washington oversaw construction, he never lived in the house. President John Adams, elected in 1796 as the second President, and First Lady Abigail Adams were the first residents of the White House, which was still unfinished at the time. It completed in 1800, though construction and restoration projects have taken place ever since. It was partially burned by the British in the War of 1812. Contrary to the popular story that it was painted white to hide burn marks, the White House was simply painted white in 1818. The building was known as the White House prior to this time because of lime-based whitewash that was used to protect the exterior. The White House also includes two wings: the West Wing, built in the early 1900s under Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, and the East Wing, first built by President Theodore Roosevelt and significantly expanded in 1942 to include an underground bunker and office spaces. In all, the White House complex covers around 18 acres and includes gardens and spacious lawns. 

The White House

The most notable feature of Mills’ design was a 350-foot long Greek inspired colonnade. This architect also completed the east and center sections of the present building. In 1844 the entire sandstone building was painted white. In subsequent years, architect Thomas Walter designed an expansion that was began in 1855. Construction was halted in 1858 due to rising financial concerns, but the project was complete three years later under the direction of architect Ammi B. Young.Then came the Civil War and the completion of the south wing in 1862. Young stepped down and Isaiah Rogers was brought in to oversee the addition of the west wing. Within a couple years Alfred Mullett became the supervising architect. The west wing remained a focus through the war years and was completed near its end.Then it was time to start the north wing. In 1867 the State Department building was demolished to make room for the north wing. It was largely completed two years later, in time to host the Inaugural Reception of President Ulysses S. Grant in the popular Cash Room. A few details lingered into 1870 when finally after 34 years of work and additions, the Treasury Building was complete.In 1919 an annex building was constructed across the street from the Treasury Building. The Treasury Building itself has been the recipient of various upgrades from electrical to technological throughout the years. After a brief time of being in disrepair and another fire, it has seen regular cleanings as well major renovations and upgrades to continue to modernize the initial structure.Guided tours of the building are available.The Treasury Department's function is to see to the financial stability of the country. The Department advises the president, produces money, collects revenue and more. It is under the leadership of the Secretary of the Treasury, which is currently Jacob Lew.

A National Historic landmark, the U.S. Department of Treasury Building was constructed in multiple phases dating back to the 1830s.. Prior to that time, the first Treasury building was a simple two-story brick structure with a basement and attic. This modest treasury was damaged by fire within its first six months. During the repair of the original treasury building, a vault extension was added, a feature that would be the only part of the building to survive the War of 1812. 

As the nation and its government grew following the War of 1812, Congress decided to build a more permanent structure for its treasury. Architect Robert Mills won the design competition and construction began in the 1830s. The project ran into multiple difficulties and Congress even debated whether they should demolish what Mills had started. Congress decided to stick with Mills and his design, and the building was completed in 1842. It would be expanded during the 1850s and also in the midst of the Civil War. 

U.S. Department of Treasury Building

Alexander Hamilton was one of the most influential of America's Founding Generation, serving as an officer in the Revolutionary War and one of the leading spirits behind the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Although Hamilton may be most well-known today for his death at the hands of Aaron Burr following his participation in the nation's most famous duel, Hamilton should also be remembered as the father of America's monetary system. Hamilton was the leading proponent of a strong central government and central banking. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, he shaped the nature of currency and banking. As one of George Washington's most trusted advisers, he shaped the nature of the Presidency. Hamilton may have followed in Washington's footsteps had it not been for his perception as a man of strong personal ambition, or his decision to participate in a fatal duel with Vice President Aaron Burr in Weehawken, New Jersey, in July 1804. His life and legacy are commemorated in a bronze statue, commissioned in 1917 and dedicated on May 17, 1923, at the United States Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. This 10-foot-tall statue was created by American sculptor James Earle Fraser. It stands atop a 9-foot granite base made by the Beaux-Arts architect Henry Bacon. Cast by the Kunst Foundry in New York, the statue depicts Hamilton holding a tricorn hat and dress coat. He wears knee breeches, a throat fichu, buckled shoes, and ruffled cuffs. The statue bears inscriptions on its front, back, and north face indicating the foundry and text relating to Hamilton's life. The inscriptions read as follows: (Rear of sculpture, near base)<blockquote>Fraser 19221</blockquote>(Rear of sculpture, near base)<blockquote>A. Kunst Foundry NY1</blockquote>(Front of base)<blockquote>ALEXANDER HAMILTON/1757-1804/FIRST SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY/SOLDIER ORATOR STATESMAN/CHAMPION OF CONSTITUTIONAL UNION/REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT AND/NATIONAL INTEGRITY1</blockquote>(North side of base) <blockquote>HE SMOTE THE ROCK OF THE NATIONAL RESOURCES AND ABUNDANT STREAMS OF REVENUE GUSHED FORTH. HE TOUCHED THE DEAD CORPSE OF THE PUBLIC CREDIT AND IT SPRANG UPON ITS FEET. signed Founder's mark appears.1</blockquote> Hamilton's life is also chronicled in a bestselling book by Ron Chernow, Alexander Hamilton, published in 2004. In 2015, a musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda based on the book debuted on Broadway, winning eleven Tony Awards and renewing widespread interest in Hamilton's life. In 2017, the Library of Congress digitized the largest collection of Hamilton's papers, consisting of approximately 12,000 documents, for researchers, students, and curious readers to freely peruse.

One of the most prominent figures in early American history is represented by this 10-foot-tall outdoor bronze sculpture by American sculptor James Earle Fraser. The Alexander Hamilton Statue stands atop a granite base created by Henry Bacon. The base features multiple inscriptions pertaining to the "Father of the American Monetary System." It is located on the on the south patio (Alexander Hamilton Place, NW) of the U.S. Treasury Building in Washington D.C.

Alexander Hamilton Statue

Sherman was born in Lancaster, Ohio in 1820 and served during the Mexican-American war of the 1840s. In 1861, Sherman was appointed to the rank of brigadier general as the Union was mired in civil war. Sherman led Union troops at Bull Run and Shiloh and was promoted to major general in 1862. His willingness to engage the enemy won accolades among a growing number of civilian and military leaders in the North that sought a more aggressive campaign against the Confederacy. Sherman served under the new Union commander, Ulysses S. Grant, and waged a grueling offensive through Georgia and the Carolinas that accelerated the Confederate surrender. General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered his army to Sherman on April 26, 1865, 17 days after General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. Sherman's younger brother, Senator John Sherman, was the author of the Sherman Anti-Trust act of 1890 that sought to prevent the formation of monopolies. William T. Sherman would remain the most famous member of the family, however, and is still regarded as one of the most effective generals in US history. Shortly after Sherman died in New York in 1891, members of the Chamber of Commerce raised funds for a monument.  The committee commissioned artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create the monument, a selection inspired by the fact that Saint-Gaudens had created a bust of Sherman's head in 1888. This process required Sherman to sit for two hours at a time for a total of over 18 hours. Saint-Gaudens admired the general, and labored heavily over every aspect of the piece. This overwork caused the artist to become ill, which extended the amount of time needed to create the monument. In 1902, the work was complete and the statue was ready for dedication the following year.

This bronze monument honors one of the leading Civil War generals, William Tecumseh Sherman, and is located near the exact location where Sherman reviewed Union troops at a ceremony commemorating the end of the war in May, 1865. The monument features an equestrian statue of the general on top of a square platform with a soldier at each corner of the base. The four bronze statues represent each of the four branches of the army at that time (infantry, cavalry, engineers, and artillery). President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt dedicated the statue in 1903. The monument was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, a master craftsman who produced numerous sculptures before completing this piece, his very last work before his death in 1907.

General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument

The First Division was formed as part of the American Expeditionary Forces in May 1917 after the United States declared war on Germany. These forces were the first in the United States Military to fight overseas. The First Division was a particular favorite of General John J. Pershing, commander in chief of the American Expeditionary Forces, and the division earned the nickname “Pershing’s Own.” In February 1919, active soldiers in Germany came together and formed the Society of the First Division to honor the fallen.The First Division Monument was a special project of Major General Charles P. Summerall, the president of the Society of the First Division and a commander in World War I. He proposed the memorial in September 1919, and by October, the First Division Memorial Association was organized to raise funds and manage the project. Summerall and the memorial team collaborated with the Commission of Fine Arts, an agency that oversees building design in Washington, D.C., to create a beautiful and honorable monument on federal grounds. Summerall’s vision for the monument was inspired by the Battle Monument, a Civil War memorial at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. It consisted of a tall granite columnn with a statue of Victory at the top. The base listed the names of fallen soldiers and officers. Summerall wanted a monument that commemorated all fallen soldiers of the First Division, unlike many of the Civil War monuments in D.C., which often displayed a notable individual on horseback.Throughout the planning and construction processes, the First Division Monument team and the Commission of Fine Arts faced important decisions about the monument’s design and meaning. This would be the first monument to the Great War in the nation’s capital, and no war since the Civil War engaged soldiers and citizens so rigorously. The Commission of Fine Arts initially pushed for a national memorial, rather than one solely dedicated to the First Division. They realized, however, that populating D.C. with a variety of World War I monuments would create balance among the city’s numerous Civil War monuments. the First Division Memorial Association chose a site for the monument, they took such ideas into consideration. Their site fulfilled the Senate Park Commission Plan of 1901-02, which called for a monument in President’s Park outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, formerly known as the State, War, and Navy Building and the Old Executive Office Building. This site also created a visual balance with a nearby statue of Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman. Yet the Commission of Fine Arts favored a fountain instead of a columnn monument on this site. The monument’s architect, Cass Gilbert, argued that a fountain would be more difficult to maintain and that columnns around the world, such as Nelson’s Column in London’s Trafalgar Square and Trajan’s Column in Rome, proved the permanence and power of this design. The Commission of Fine Arts agreed.The Society of the First Division hired prominent figures in art and architecture to create a contemporary yet classical monument. They hired architects Cass Gilbert to build the monument and sculptor David Chester French to create the statue of Victory. Gilbert designed grand works such as the Woolworth Building in New York and Washington, D.C.’s Treasury Annex Building, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Building, and Supreme Court Building. French, a founder of the Commission of Fine Arts, fashioned the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial and the fountain in Dupont Circle. Additionally, the monument project explored the George A. Fuler company to create the pedestal, the Dodd’s Granite Company to extract the unique and desirable Milford pink granite, and the Piccirilli Brothers and the Roman Bronze Works of New York cast the statue.  Completed in 1924, the First Division Monument stood at 78 feet, from the ground to the top of the Victory statue. It included the names of 5,599 members of the First Division on bronze plaques. French’s winged statue of Victory, an ancient Roman goddess often personified in American art. She stands in a dynamic pose with hands outstretched, a waving flag, and a flowing dress. The National Park Service calls her “an eternal flame on the constant memorial.” The First Division Monument was dedicated on October 4, 1924, with more than 6,000 veterans and guests in attendance. Major General Summerall and President Calvin Coolidge spoke and the First Division band played the “Star-Spangled Banner.”Like the symbolic statue of Victory, the First Division Monument has been dynamic. After acquired by the National Park Service in 1939, new additions have been added to commemorate fallen First Division soldiers in subsequent wars. The World War II addition, designed by Cass Gilbert Jr., was added August 24, 1957, honoring the more than 4,300 who fought throughout Europe and North Africa. A mirroring design was completed in May 1977, to honor the more than 3,000 soldiers who died in Vietnam, where the First Division was the first to be deployed in the war. In the 1990s, the First Division led armored attacks in Desert Storm, and a plaque honoring the 27 soldiers who died was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1995. The grounds have also undergone change. In the 1960s, Lady Bird Johnson led efforts to create a flower bed in the shape of the First Division patch. Services are held at the First Division Monument on Veterans Day, while the Society of the First Infantry Division has a commemoration plan in place to guide future expansion of the monument. Constantly evolving yet steadfast, the First Division Monument is a prominent reminder of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The First Division Monument honors fallen members of the First Division of the United States Army. Located in President's Park outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the monument was originally erected and dedicated in 1924 in honor of First Division members who died in World War I. The Society of the First Division, under the leadership of Major General Charles P. Summerall, advocated for a World War I monument in the nation's capital. Over the years, multiple additions to the monument honor First Division members who died in World War II, the Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. Its design reflects the Battle Monument at the United States Military Academy in West Point. It features a granite columnn and pedestal designed by Cass Gilbert and a winged statue of Victory by David Chester French. The First Division Monument is under the care of the National Park Service and hosts services on Veterans Day.

First Division Monument

At 11:41 a.m. local time on December 7, 1988, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck approximately three miles from Spitak, a city of nearly 30,000 people in the northwestern region of the Soviet republic of Armenia. Occurring relatively close to the Earth’s surface, the tremor was felt as far away as Turkey and Iran. A mere four minutes later, a second earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.8, shook the ground again. The earthquakes combine to almost completely level the city of Spitak and destroyed roughly eighty percent of the buildings in the city of Leninakin (now Gyumri), Armenia’s second-largest city, thirty miles to the west. The level of destruction overwhelmed Armenia’s resources. Exacerbating the situation, the country’s Soviet-controlled authorities were slow to allow rescuers and relief workers to enter the area. In all, the earthquakes killed between 25,000 and 60,000 people, and injured over 100,000 more. Destroying hundreds of thousands of structures in the northern part of the country, the tremors left more than 500,000 Armenians homeless.  On the day of the earthquakes, the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, was on an official visit to the United States, where he delivered a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. The speech was historic for it not only was the first given by a Soviet leader to the global organization in nearly three decades, but also announced the Soviet Union’s plans for unilateral arms and troop reductions, in addition to the shrinking of its military presence in Eastern Europe. After delivering the speech, he met with President Ronald Reagan and President-elect George H.W. Bush. Following his visit to the United States, Gorbachev toured the devastation in Armenia. He also made the surprising and unprecedented move of requesting international humanitarian aid to help the people of the small Soviet republic. One of the organizations that responded to Gorbachev’s call was the American Red Cross. In the year following the earthquakes, the organization donated over $14 million in disaster assistance. Of the total amount, the American Red Cross gave $8 million worth of medicine and medical supplies and $6.5 million in cash. The organization also set up a prosthetics workshop, a spinal trauma rehabilitation unit, and an emergency preparedness program. Following the disaster and the influx of foreign aid, Armenian sculptor Friedrich Sogoyan went to work creating a statue. The result of his labors was Motherland, a stylized bronze sculpture of a mother closely clutching her child. Completed in 1990, the piece was inspired by the story of Susanna Petrosyan, a mother and her four-year-old daughter who were trapped beneath the rubble of her sister-in-law Karine's apartment. The pair had gone to visit the sister-in-law in her fifth-floor apartment moments before the earthquake. After two days, Karine was dead and their only food- a jar of preserves, was gone. ″I thought my child was going to die of thirst,″ Petrosyan explained to a reporter after their rescue. ″I had no water, no fruit juice, no liquids. It was then I remembered that I had my own blood.″ Concerned only with the survival of her child, Petrosyan lacerated her hand to provide liquid for the girl to drink after both had gone days without water. Miraculously, rescue workers uncovered the rubble and discovered the mother and daughter after eight days. Petrosyan's husband was with the rescue crew that discovered his wife and daughter, and after both were airlifted to a nearby hospital, the mother and daughter survived. Doctors were unsure if the small amount of blood helped preserve the daughter's life, but it was clear that offering something to drink helped to alieve the child's thirst. "″I knew I was going to die,″ Susanna Petrosyan explained to a reporter when recounting her decision ″but I wanted my daughter to live.″ Petrosyan's story was among many miraculous stories of tragedy self-sacrifice. Two weeks after the earthquake, the brutal terrorist attack that killed all 259 passengers on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland took media attention away from the tragedy in Armenia. While the earthquake has been largely forgotten in the United States, the tragedy and the international response continues to play a significant role in the historical memory of Armenians. The following year, Sogoyan presented the sculpture to the American Red Cross as a gift from the people of Armenia in recognition of the organization’s help in the aftermath of the devastating 1988 earthquakes. The sculpture sits on the lawn outside the American Red Cross National Headquarters on Seventeenth Street NW in Washington, D.C.

On December 7, 1988, two earthquakes devastated the northwestern region of the small Soviet republic of Armenia. Occurring within four minutes of each another, the tremors killed between 25,000 and 60,000 people, injured over 100,000 more, and left more than 500,000 homeless. Following the natural disaster, the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, made the surprising and unprecedented move of requesting international humanitarian aid to help the people of Armenia. One of the organizations that responded to Gorbachev’s call was the American Red Cross. In the year following the earthquakes, the organization donated over $14 million in disaster assistance. Of the total amount, the American Red Cross gave $8 million worth of medicine and medical supplies and $6.5 million in cash. Following the disaster and the influx of foreign aid, Armenian sculptor Friedrich Sogoyan went to work creating a statue. The result of his labors was Motherland, a stylized bronze sculpture of a mother closely clutching her child. Completed in 1990, the piece was inspired by the story of Susanna Petrosyan who was trapped beneath rubble with her four-year-old daughter for eight days. To alleviate the thirst of her child, the mother lacerated her hand and allowed her daughter to drink some of her own blood. Miraculously, both survived. The following year, Sogoyan presented the sculpture to the American Red Cross as a gift from the people of Armenia in recognition of the organization’s help in the aftermath of the devastating 1988 earthquakes. The sculpture sits on the lawn outside the American Red Cross National Headquarters on Seventeenth Street NW in Washington, D.C. 

Motherland (Armenian Earthquake Statue)

Constructed in 1846 and completed two years later as a commercial venture by William H. Winder, this building served as offices for leaders of the United States Army during the Civil War. At the time of its construction, the Winder Building was the largest and tallest building in the city, standing at 75 feet tall with five floor levels and 130 rooms. The building’s construction also was notable for its usage of iron beams and a central heating system. Desperate for more office space in close proximity to the White House, the U.S. government began renting the building in 1848 for bureaus of the Interior, Treasury, War, and Navy Departments. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, later the president of the Confederate States of America, purchased the building from Winder on behalf of the government in 1854 for $200,000. Winder's nephew, also named William Winder, was a general who was court-martialed for his failures leading the American Army during the Battle of Bladensburg in the War of 1812. In addition to President Abraham Lincoln, Major General Winfield Scott, Major General Halleck and Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant were frequent visitors to the building. Lincoln often visited to discuss weapons that were being tested for use in the Union Army. Throughout the Civil War, the building provided space for many government offices, including the Navy Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography, the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, and the Second Auditor of the Treasury. Several myths about the Winder building became popular throughout its history, possibly as a result of several other government offices and buildings being located in its proximity. The belief that this building was utilized for telegraph communication is one such rumor. The Telegraph Office was located in the War Department Building (now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building) just across the street from the Winder Building. Despite there being no official records of military telegraph wires having been connected to the Winder Building, rumors surfaced that Lincoln commonly visited the building to read about events from the frontlines of the war sent through telegraphs. Other popular myths related to the building include that Lincoln sometimes viewed military parades from the iron balcony of the Winder Building. According to official records, it is very unlikely this ever occurred or that it was a frequent occurrence. Perhaps the most widespread myth about the Winder Building is that its basement housed Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. There is no evidence that such prison cells ever existed inside the building. However, it is likely that civilian suspects sometimes were interrogated in the basement. This myth gave rise to rumors that Lincoln often visited the building to go into the basement and talk with the supposed Confederate prisoners. Despite the lack of evidence for these claims, the initial historical marker placed on the building in 1950 repeated the myth that Lincoln frequently visited to talk with prisoners. Under the direction of General Montgomery Meigs, the Quartermaster General’s Department was at the forefront of the push to use the Winder Building as office space for Union Army officials. The Army Ordnance Department also was housed by the building. In the later stages of the war, General Joseph Holt successfully pushed to relocate the Bureau of Military Justice headquarters within the building. Holt also led his investigation into Lincoln’s 1865 assassination from inside the building. The same year, a signal station was constructed atop the Winder Building on behalf of the U.S. Signal Corps to send signals using flags to troops stationed in and around Washington D.C. Despite being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, the General Services Administration led an attempt to demolish the building soon after to make way for the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. Because of substantial public backlash, the GSA never followed through with its plans. From 1976 through 1979, the GSA conducted an extensive restoration of the building. During this restoration, the building received a new roof and exterior stucco with new windows of seeded glass in the fashion which was used in its initial construction. The entire inside of the building also was restored, and new elevators were installed. Because concrete did not yet exist at the time of the building’s construction, its initial floors were made of brick; as part of the restoration process, sand was laid over the brick with bluestone and slate placed atop. The architect of the restoration was Max Urbahn, who also has designed many other buildings for the U.S. government, including a large NASA structure at Cape Canaveral. Today, and since 1981, the Winder Building houses the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Constructed in 1846 by William H. Winder, this building has been home to offices of the U.S. Army since before the Civil War and has held the Office of the United States Trade Representative since 1981. The building was utilized by the U.S. Army who rented the structure from Winder beginning in 1848. In 1854, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis purchased the building from its owner for $200,000. President Abraham Lincoln and Union General Ulysses S. Grant are among various prominent government officials who visited this building, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1950, a historic marker was added but later removed after some of its information was challenged by historians. 

Winder Building

Blair House was an important home even its early years. The Blairs were an influential family and their son Montgomery Blair was an advisor to President Lincoln. The house experienced a resurgence in popularity in 1942 when became a place of residence for visiting dignitaries. It was frequent visits by Winston Churchill that sparked President Franklin Roosevelt’s desire to use the house for diplomatic purposes. It was purchased by the government in 1942.Prior to Blair House, most guests of the president stayed in the White House and then a hotel or embassy for the rest of the visit. During the Truman administration the Blair House became the Truman White House. Renovation and remodeling in the White House left a need for Truman to relocate to Blair House. At this time as well, on November 1, 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists, Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo, made an assassination attempt on President Truman, in broad daylight. Collazo was mortally wounded and White House Policeman Leslie Coeffeit was killed in the failed attempt after he killed Torresola. It now consists of four connected townhomes featuring more than 120 rooms. It has 14 guestrooms, 3 formal dining rooms, two conference rooms, a beauty salon, an exercise room and in-house laundry facility. It has a full-time staff of 18 people including an executive chef and a sous chef. It is not open to the public. If it is not occupied, Blair House often hosts special events.The house has played a key role in U.S. history as many notable guests, important conversations and key decisions have been made within its walls. Famous guests at the Blair House include Winston Churchill, Vyacheslav Molotov, Emperor Akihito of Japan, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles de Gaulle, François Mitterrand, Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Hosni Mubarak (Egypt), Margaret Thatcher, Javier Perez de Cuellar (5th Secretary General to the UN), Nambaryn Enkhbayar, Narendra Modi, Hamid Karzai (Afghanistan), and Justin Trudeau.

Blair House, a National Historic Landmark, is part of the President’s Guest House Complex. The house itself was built for Dr. Joseph Lovell, the first Surgeon General on the United States, in 1824. In 1836 it was bought by Francis Preston Blair, Sr., a member of President Jackson’s “Kitchen Cabinet.” The Blair’s built a house next door for their daughter in 1852, which became known as the Lee House. The two houses were and still are practically used as one. The United States Government purchased Blair House in 1942 and it has been housing guests of the presidents since that time. 

Blair House

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was founded by American Industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1910. He believed that strong international laws and organizations could eliminate war, an idea to which he was strongly committed. In order to further this goal, he established the endowment with a gift of $10 million in mortgage bonds, entrusting his trustees with managing and using the funds for the purpose of "hasten[ing] the abolition of international war, the foulest blot upon our civilization."1 Today, the current D.C. headquarters of the CEIP is responsible for eight programs: The Nuclear Policy Program, Russia &amp; Eurasia Program, South Asia Program, Democracy &amp; Rule of Law Program, Asia Program, Energy &amp; Climate Program, Middle East Program, and Europe Program. It has been ranked as the third most influential think tank in the world by the University of Pennsylvania's 2015 Global Go To Think Tanks Report. Built in 1860, the former headquarters of the CEIP is located across from the Old Executive Office Building. It once served as the private residence of Peter Parker (the building is also known as the Peter Parker House). Parker was a physician and was known as the "father" of medical missions to China. Architecturally, the brick structure is an Italianate-style row house. It is now part of the Blair House complex, which consists of four adjoining row houses that serve as the official residents for guests of President of the United States. The Peter Parker House has served as offices for the Bureau of Pan American Republics (the precursor to the Organization of American States) from 1888 to 1908. It became the national headquarters for the CEIP in 1910 and continued to function as such until its move to Massachusetts Avenue in 1948. This specific structure was designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL) on May 30, 1974; and is a contributing property to the Lafayette Square Historic District, which was designated a NHL historic district on August 29, 1970.

Just a short walk away from the White House, and directly across from the Old Executive Office Building, is the former headquarters of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). The organization, a foreign policy think tank, has centers in Washington, D.C., Moscow, Beirut, Beijing, Brussels, and New Delhi. The CEIP was established in 1910 by Andrew Carnegie to advance cooperation between nations and promote the active international engagement of the United States of America. Owing to this building's association with the organization, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (former headquarters)

Rochambeau was born on July 1, 1725 near Vendome, France. By the age of 36, Rochambeau&nbsp;had been made the inspector of the French Calvary in recognition of his leadership and success on the battlefield during the Seven Years War and the War of Austrian Succession. Rochambeau&nbsp;spent the next decade and half training his army in anticipation for a war with the rival British. In 1780 he was promoted to Lieutenant General, and had 5,500 soldiers under his command. His mission was to support the American colonists in their war. He and his men arrived in&nbsp;Newport, Rhode Island in July of 1780. The following year, General Cornwallis and his troops made their way into Virginia. Rochambeau convinced General George Washington that they needed to concentrate all of their forces on the Virginia Peninsula. Over 12,000 men, artillery, supplies, and two French fleets converged on the British at Yorktown. On October 19, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered and the British ended the war shortly thereafter. When the war was over, Rochambeau returned to France but continued to correspond with George Washington. Rochambeau tried to retire from the military but his plans were put on hold due to the French Revolution in 1789 when King Louis XVI promoted him to Marshal of France. During the Reign of Terror in 1793, Rochambeau&nbsp;was arrested due to the king being overthrown and the rise of Robespierre. Rochambeau was freed and his life was saved about a year later when Robespierre passed away. Then on May 12, 1807 Rochambeau passed at the age of 83.&nbsp;

Dedicated on May 24, 1902 by President Theodore Roosevelt, this monument commemorates the life of Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau. This monument was dedicated to Rochambeau in recognition of his military service to the American colonies during the Battle of Yorktown in the Revolutionary War. The monument is placed in the southwest corner of Lafayette Square. The monument serves as a reminder of the alliance between France and the American colonists who fought for independence from Britain. During the dedication ceremony of the monument, President Roosevelt stated to the French diplomats, "because the history of the United States has been so interwoven with what France has done for us...the American people, through me, extend their thanks to you."

Rochambeau Statue

Artist Clark Mills (1810-1883) cast this bronze statue in December 1852 to commemorate the victory of Major General Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), later the seventh president of the United States, in the 1815 Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain. Mills set up a studio and foundry near the park in 1849, and cast the statue in ten pieces -- four for the horse and six for Jackson. In total the statue weighs 15 tons. The statue was dedicated on January 8, 1853, on the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans. The statue depicts Jackson as a general, riding a rearing horse and waving his hat. The statue faces west, with Jackson's and the horse's faces turned slightly toward the White House. The marble base of the statue bears the inscription, "Our Federal Union. It must be Preserved." Around the base of the statue are four Spanish cannons that Jackson captured in Pensacola, Florida. This was the first statue in Lafayette Square, now Lafayette Park. Part of a set of four, this statue has copies in New Orleans, Louisiana; Jacksonville, Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee. The statue is a contributing feature to the Lafayette Square Historic District, recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1970.

Commemorating President Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans, this bronze equestrian statue was cast in 1853 by Clark Mills (1810-1883). It stands at the center of Lafayette Park, on the north side of the White House. This statue is one of four identical statues, with the others standing in New Orleans, Louisiana; Jacksonville, Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee.

Walking Tour of President's Park

Renwick Gallery

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information