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{
    "localId": "354584253",
    "label": "\"The White House\" [Extract from \"Washington City and Capital\"]",
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    "id": "354584253",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "\"The White House\" [Extract from \"Washington City and Capital\"]",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/354584253",
    "collections": [
        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "White House Files"
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    "productionDates": [
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            "logicalDate": "1937-01-01",
            "year": 1937
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    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "LOCATION AND GROUNDS\nExecutive Office, cuts into two areas, known as the north and south\ngrounds, respectively. The grounds are bounded on the north by\nThe White House is situated about a mile and a half west-north-\nPennsylvania Avenue, and on the other three sides by East Executive\nwest of the Capitol, with Pennsylvania Avenue connecting the two.\nAvenue, South Executive Avenue, and West Executive Avenue, re-\nFacing Lafayette Square on the north, it is flanked by the Treasury\nspectively. There are eight gateways to the grounds, all apposite to\non the east and the State, War, and Navy Building on the west. The\nthe various White House entrances. The main approach is in the\ntip of the Washington Monument is visible to one looking over its\nnorth grounds, where a curving driveway makes an arc beginning\nroof from Pennsylvania Avenue.\nand ending with gateways on Pennsylvania Avenue, and passing\nOriginally the President's Square contained upward of 80 acres,\nunder a porte-cochere to the central portal of the White House. The\nincluding Lafayette Square and the Ellipse. It was a rough piece of\nsemicircle SO formed encloses a low fountain and flower beds. These\nbarren land notable only for its view of the Potomac-a view long\ngateways are open to the public who wish to see the grounds, but\nsince cut off-and the unhealthfulness of the swamps in which it\nthe great north entrance to the White House itself is reserved for\nterminated. In 1800 the present grounds were marked off, but were\nthe President's family, and for receiving visitors of state.\nnot enclosed until the administration of John Quincy Adams, who\nOn visiting days, the public is admitted at the East Executive\nsaw to it that Congress voted sufficient sums for grading and fencing.\nAvenue entrance gates. Official visitors use the West Executive\nGardens, in which Mr. Adams spent many hours at work, took shape,\nAvenue entrance, which leads directly to the Executive Office of the\nand seedlings were set out. Although the grounds were said to be\nPresident. The two South Executive Avenue entrances are closed\nin keeping with the plain tastes of a country squire, their unfinished\nto the public except on special occasions; since the south grounds\nappearance could hardly satisfy the lavish tastes of Martin Van\nnow are considered the private gardens of the President. A beau-\nBuren when he became President. With a free hand he provided\ntiful view of the south grounds, however, is obtainable from South\nfor stables, fountains, stone walls, and iron railings, the hauling of\nExecutive Avenue, midway between the east and west gates.\nrich topsoil for flower beds, and the collecting of enough native\nThe south facade of the White House rises from a mass of shrub-\nand exotic plants to do credit to a royal English garden. Rare speci-\nbery and flower gardens, and forms the north end of a long vista\nmens of medicinal plants, such as enchanter's nightshade and golden\nover the \"Presidential Ellipse\" past the Washington Monument and\nmadder, still democratically shared space with the humbler York\ninto the Potomac Park to the south. To the west of the facade are\ncabbages, peas, and parsnips.\nelaborate flower gardens, tennis courts, and clustered trees and\nBy 1849 the ground south of the President's House had been drained,\nthickets, one of which conceals the \"President's walk.\" On the\neast\nand 2 years later the Commissioner of Public Buildings \"at the sug-\nare more small groves and gardens, and an oblong pool, bordered by\ngestion of several prominent gentlemen of this city and by appropria-\nevergreens. Walks thread in and out among the trees and garden\ntion of President Fillmore\" secured the services of Andrew Jackson\nplots, and a paved driveway curves across the grounds from the two\nDowning, well-known landscape designer, to lay out plans for the\ngateways, up to the south portico.\nWhite House grounds-plans to which the grounds owe most of their\nPrevious to the first Cleveland administration, the south grounds\nbeauty.\nnot infrequently were open to the public, but they have always been\nThe White House grounds again profited by an era of prodigal\nconsidered as primarily for use of the Presidential families, and\nspending when Grant took office. The ugly iron fences along the\nMrs. Cleveland objected to the fact that too many promenaders were\nwalks of the north grounds were torn down to allow for a broad\ngiven to kissing the White House baby, Ruth. Once a year the south\nsweep of lawn. East Executive Avenue and West Executive Avenue\ngrounds are still open for the Easter egg rolling, when the Marine\nwere cut through, and the lowlands at the south were filled in and\nBand plays and the President and his lady appear and greet the\nplanted with trees and shrubbery, improvements made under George\nchildren. Grown people accompanying children are admitted: adults\nG. Brown, known as the \"father of the Washington park system.\"\nalone also, but only later in the day. The young guests bring their\nThe present White House grounds comprise a fenced and wooded\ngaily colored Easter eggs in festive baskets of ornamentally plaited\npark of 18 acres, which the Mansion itself, with the adjoining\nand dyed straw. If encouraged by fine weather, thousands of chil-\n2\n3"
}