In 1917, the Commission of Fine Arts requested John Russell Pope to prepare sketches of the State, War, and Navy building that incorporated Classical facades. During the same year, Washington architect Waddy B. Wood completed a drawing depicting the building remodeled to resemble the Treasury Building. This project was revived in 1930 when Congress appropriated $3 million for its construction. Wood worked for 3 years on the design to remove the granite walls and replace them with marble, but the project was shelved due to financial burdens imposed by the Great Depression. In 1957, President Eisenhower‘s Advisory Committee on Presidential Office Space recommended demolition of the Executive Office Building and construction of a modern office facility. However, the public outcry, and the overwhelming expenses associated with the demolition, saved the building.

　　The building has not been without detractors. It has been referred to as Mullett’s “architectural infant asylum” by writer Henry Adams. President Harry S. Truman came to the defense of the building when it was threatened by demolition in 1958. He said it was “the greatest monstrosity in America”. Noted architectural historian Henry-Russell Hitchcock, however described it as “perhaps the best extant example in America of the second empire.”

　　The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1969. In 1972, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites. Since 1981, the Office of Administration of the Executive Office of the President has actively pursued a rigorous program of rehabilitation of the EEOB. The entire structure has benefited from an upgraded maintenance program that has also included restoration of some of the EEOB’s most spectacular historic interiors.

　　In 1988, Congress enacted legislation to allow the Office of Administration to accept gifts and loans from the public on behalf of the EEOB to be used for preservation and restoration purposes. Persons interested in finding out more about the preservation program or in making a contribution should contact the Preservation Office.

　　Facts

　　Architectural Style: French Second Empire

　　Construction Dates: 1871 – 1888 (17 years total)

　　Supervising Architects: Alfred Mullett (1869-1874), William Potter (1875-1875), Orville Babcock (1875-1877), Thomas Lincoln Casey (1877-1888)

　　Chief Designer: Richard Ezdorf

　　Total Cost: $10,038,482.42

　　Total Building Area: 662,598 GSF (15.21 acres or 11 1/2 football fields)

　　Number of Levels: Basement, Ground, Floors 1 through 5

　　Original Number of Rooms: 553

　　Exterior Columns: 900

　　Original Interior Doors: 1,314

　　Original Exterior Windows: 1,572

　　Bronze Stair Balusters: 4,004

　　Number of Steps: 1,784 (76 less than the Empire State Building with 1,860 steps)

　　Number of Stairs: 65

　　Total Corridor Length: 9,160′-1″ or 1.73 miles (2.793 kilometers)

　　Number of Original Fireplaces: 151 (83 remain)

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