Eisenhower Executive Office Building
- Architect
- Alfred B. Mullett
- Style
- Second Empire
- City
- Washington, DC
Commissioned by President Ulysses S. Grant, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building was built between 1871 and 1888 on the site of the original 1800 War/State/Navy Building and the White House stables, at 17th Street NW between Pennsylvania Avenue and State Place. Known originally as the State, War, and Navy Building, it opened in 1888 to house three cabinet departments under one roof. It was renamed in 1999 for Dwight D. Eisenhower and today sits inside the White House compound, home to the White House Office, the Office of the Vice President, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Council.
the building
Three departments, one roof. The building was raised specifically to consolidate the State, War, and Navy Departments in a single structure next to the White House, an unusual scale of construction that gave the building its original name, the State, War, and Navy Building.
Mansard silhouette. Its mansard-roofed facade, built up over seventeen years of construction between 1871 and 1888, gives the building its dominant profile on 17th Street and remains its most recognizable feature from the sidewalk.
the style
The EEOB is considered an exceptional example of the Second Empire style, marked by its steep mansard roof. Placed just steps from the White House, the style gave a sprawling federal office building an imposing, palace-like presence on the streetscape.
More on Second Empiresignificance
The building is a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Renamed in 1999 to honor Dwight D. Eisenhower, it remains part of the working White House compound rather than a museum piece.
nearby
- Winder Building
- U.S. Civil Service Commission Building
- Peter Parker House
- Blair House (Blair-Lee House; President's Guest House)
- Renwick Gallery (Old Corcoran Gallery)
- Corcoran Gallery of Art