This 1960 educational film from Coronet Films gives viewers a look at the White House while briefly covering the history of the building. The film opens with an aerial view of the White House. Cars drive in front of the White House, and people mill around the entrance to the building. A weeping birch tree planted by the wife of Calvin Coolidge continues to grow on the grounds (01:07). The film shows both entrances to the White House, followed by a painting of the building, and a shot of the plans for the building by James Hoban (01:38). Illustrations show British forces setting fire to White House during the War of 1812. Viewers see the famous portrait of George Washington that was saved from the fire by James Madison’s wife Dolly. The film shows a picture of the White House as it looked during President James Monroe’s administration. There is a shot of Lincoln’s study in the White House (03:46). Black and white photographs show some of the ornate decorations and furnishings found in the White House by the time of Benjamin Harrison’s presidency. The film shows the West Wing addition that was built upon Theodore Roosevelt’s request (04:56). Calvin Coolidge sits at his desk in the White House (05:30). Herbert Hoover speaks into a microphone for a radio broadcast on what appears to be the steps of the White House. Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses the nation via radio from inside the White House. Harry Truman is televised from the Oval Office, and Dwight D. Eisenhower gives a press conference (06:12). There is a shot of the renovated White House during Truman’s time in office (06:40). Next, the film takes viewers inside the West Wing for a look at the conference room where the president meets with the cabinet and the Oval Office (07:12). Viewers see the main entrance, the North Entrance, of the White House. Footage then shows the lobby with its marble floor (07:45), the Seal of President of United States, the Blue Room (08:28), the Green Room, and the Red Room. Inside the State Dining Room (09:18) gold candelabra sit on the long table and a silver chandelier hangs overhead. In the China Room, various sets of china used by specific presidents are on display. Viewers also see the Diplomatic Reception Room, a return to the Green Room, and the East Room (11:47), with its portrait of George Washington and iconic grand piano. The film concludes with the President’s motorcade departing from the White House.

The White House is the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. and has been the residence of every U.S. President since John Adams in 1800. The term “White House” is often used as a metonym for the president and his advisers.

The residence was designed by Irish-born architect James Hoban in the neoclassical style. Hoban modelled the building on Leinster House in Dublin, a building which today houses the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature. Construction took place between 1792 and 1800 using Aquia Creek sandstone painted white. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) added low colonnades on each wing that concealed stables and storage. In 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set ablaze by the British Army in the Burning of Washington, destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior. Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed Executive Residence in October 1817. Exterior construction continued with the addition of the semi-circular South portico in 1824 and the North portico in 1829.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com