Friday, November 4, 2011

Woodrow Wilson House

President Woodrow Wilson was too ill to attend the March 4, 1921, inaguration of Warren G. Harding, having suffered a stroke in 1919.  After spending his last morning as the twenty-eighth President with the formalities of adjourning Congress, President Wilson and his wife Edith went directly to their new home at 2340 S Street in the Washington, DC, elevated neighborhood Kalorama, which translates from Greek as "fine view".  Several hundred people were waiting in front of the house when they arrived, and that afternoon, many more well-wishers passed through the doors of the Adamesque Revival/Neo-Federal style house where he would spend the last three years of his life.
Moving vans brought the Wilsons' furnishings from the White House and from storage in March, 1921.
Photo:  National Trust for Historic Preservation.

After an undergraduate degree from Princeton, Wilson was briefly an attorney in Atlanta after graduating from the University of Virginia Law School before attending Johns Hopkins University's doctoral program in history and politcal science.  He was a faculty member at Bryn Mawr and Wesleyan before returning to Princeton as a professor, being promoted to president of Princeton in1902.  He was elected Governor of New Jersey in 1910 before winning the Presidential Election of 1912.  All of these moves were a factor in deciding to make Washington his home after leaving office, the only U.S. President to do so.

The brick house with limestone trim was completed in 1915 for Henry Parker Fairbanks, a Boston businessman and carpet industry lobbyist, who used the house for entertaining.  The designer was celebrated D.C. architect Waddy B. Wood.  A proponent of the Colonial Revival styles, Wood wrote that his architectural designs were a reflection of the time when craftsmen created buildings as an art form.  With his former partner William E. Deming, an early expert in the restoration of historic homes, Wood had been closely associated with fine examples of American architecture from the Georgian and Federal periods.  Wood also presented his views as an economic reality with the heavy Craftsman style being more costly than the delicate and more simple Colonial Revival style.  But rather than following many other early 20th century architects by just applying classical detailing, Wood felt his use of classicism was an inspiration to modern design.

Despite the traditional appearance, this house was very up-to-date in terms of technology.  And that was a selling point to Wilson's purchase as a surprise to his wife.  Using the $50,000 cash award from winning the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize (awarded in 1920) plus ten friends' contributing $10,000 each, Fairbanks almost doubled his initial investment.  To make the house wheelchair-accessible, an elevator was installed and a doorway was cut to the driveway in order to make automobile transfers easier.  A brick garage was added for his beloved White House Pierce Arrow, bought from the government, which was used almost every day for outings;  sometimes the former president was driven to Griffith Stadium to watch baseball games from his car parked on the outfield grass.  And bookshelves were added in the library;  Wilson had over 8,000 volumes.  The car was donated to The Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and the books, along with the Nobel medal, were given to the Library of Congress, but the house and contents were bequeathed by Edith Wilson to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1954 who became the custodians after her death in the house in 1961.
The President's portrait over the Library fireplace was commissioned from Stanislav Rembski by Mrs. Wilson.  The President's cabinet chair is shown with another from the House of Representatives.
Photo:  Architectural Digest.
In the Library, a Princeton tiger is flanked by an Abyssinian and a Samurai sword.
Photo:  National Trust for Historic Preservation.
This house is well known by The Devoted Classicist because of a summer internship spent with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, DC.  One of the requirements of my Bachelor of Architecture degree was a Service Practicum, working for an architect.  I was very fortunate to win a coveted internship with the Trust and work as a member of the team of the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) under the direction of staff architect John Burns in the office headed by John Poppeliers, noted for authorship of the book WHAT STYLE IS IT?.  The three architecture students, Kenneth S. Williams of the University of Florida, Charles G. Young of the Illinois Institute of Technology, and John J. Tackett of the University of Tennessee, measured and drew the house, producing documentary drawings now housed in the Library of Congress but available for viewing on-line in their entirety on the HABS website.  Additional historic research was completed by other student interns and the HABS staff, and that information can also be viewed on-line, in addition to the black & white photographs by Jack Boucher.  For many years, the photos were a subject of litigation as the photographer, paid on a contract basis, claimed control over the use of the images;  that has now been resolved and these interesting visual documents are now available for public view.
The Serving Kitchen (adjacent to the Dining Room) features a remarkable sink for washing china and crystal.
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.
There are several unique architectural features that allow light and ventilation to interior spaces, such as these clerestory windows in the Linen Closet.
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.

The gas-fired clothes dryer in the Laundry Room on the top floor.  The garments were laid on the pull-out racks.
Photo:  Historic American Building Survey.
Perhaps it was because both of the last owners had died in the house, but there was a time that many of the visitors to the Woodrow Wilson House came because they thought it was haunted.  A number of times when I was at the house to measure a detail "behind the ropes", I would emerge from a closed door or begin to stand from behind an upholstered chair and there would be gasps if not shrieks from surprised visitors.
The Drawing Room.
Photo:  Architectural Digest.

The Gobelin tapestry in the Drawing Room was presented by the French government to Mrs. Wilson in 1918.  The autographed photo is of England's King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.  The sofa belonged to Mrs. Wilson before her marriage to the President.
Photo:  Architectural Digest.
A 1920 portrait of Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, the President's second wife, hangs over the fireplace in the Dining Room.  The fringed silver filigree candle shades were one of The Devoted Classicist's favorite objects in the house.
Photo:  National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Solarium overlooks the formal garden.
Photo:  National Trust for Historic Preservation.

In the President's Bedroom, the portrait shown here of Mrs. Wilson now hangs in the Drawing Room.  It is a copy of the 1916 painting by A.Muller-Ulry that hangs in the White House.  During the President's time, a portrait titled Geraldine J was installed over the fireplace and was placed there again after a 1986 study of the original furnishings.
Photo:  Architectural Digest.

The history of Woodrow Wilson's Presidency is an interesting one, especially after it was discovered that the extent of his illness after his devasting stroke was kept private.  Though much has been written that Edith Wilson ran the country and was the First Woman President, it seems that the country was hardly run at all during that period.  But Edith Wilson's efforts to support her husband and preserve his legacy should not be underestimated;  her story is an interesting one as well.


The Woodrow Wilson House is a museum open to the public with the exception of Mondays and major holidays;  more photos and additional information can be seen at the website.  Teachers of grades 5 - 12 should be aware of the National Park Service program "Teaching With Historic Places";  more information is found here to enliven studies of history and civics.  The "Architectural Digest" photos come from the 1979 book THE WORLDS OF ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, HISTORIC INTERIORS edited by Paige Rense and published by The Knapp Press, Los Angeles.

18 comments:

  1. It's great looking place, splendid proportions, and I especially love the utilitarian aspects. The furnished areas seem a little stuffy. I'd love to see some sort of foil to all the conventionality.

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  2. Scott, there was no decorator to pull together the assortment of furniture. And some of the chairs were reupholstered using the fabric from old White House curtains. But since the intent is to present the house as it looked during President Wilson's occupancy, no improvements were allowed, of course. Fortunately, the architecture is good enough to hold its own.

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  3. It would not be the most popular view, these days. But as a proponent of the Colonial Revival styles, Wood was correct to see that architectural designs were a reflection of the time when craftsmen created buildings as an art form. It would probably be even less popular these days if Wood said his use of classicism was an inspiration to modern design.

    However tastes come and tastes go, and Woodrow Wilson House will be classically beautiful for ever.

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  4. It's wonderful to have the plans. Thanks so much.

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  5. What a FAB post. Beautiful house. Enjoyed the plans very much.

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  6. Thank you for this most interesting post. My father moved to a house around the corner from the Wilson house when I was in college, and I came to know the Kalorama and Embassy Row areas well, spending much of my time when visiting my father exploring the area on foot. The Wilson house was a particular favorite of mine, mainly for the sublime architecture (versus the interior decoration, which--as one of your readers notes--is dowdy and of its time). Thank you for giving us such an informative (and informed) tour. Reggie

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  7. Hels, although I am, of course, devoted to classicism, I do appreciate good architecture of all styles.

    Terry and HRH, although the standard Blogger template has restrictions for image sizes, high resolution images for all the drawings, including all floor plans, can be seen on the HABS website.

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  8. Reggie, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Kalorama neighborhood, seeing the outstanding residences featured in architectural history books. It was thrilling, walking up to the gate of The Lindens, a mid-18th century house moved from Danvers, MA, in the 1930s, and the British Ambassador's Residence, 1928, the only building in the U.S. by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. Thank you for commenting.

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  9. What a wonderful post. My, that's quite a chandelier in the drawing room. Decorating aside, I love the light and proportions. I could sit in the solarium for hours reading. Interesting how houses built at that time leaned either toward dark and bleary or light and optimistic. It is fascinating to contrast, for example, Edith Wharton's The Mount, with the other "cottages" in the Berkshires built at the same time. One feels as if one could live happily in her house even today. And given the chance to redecorate, I'd be right at home at the Wilson house as well. Classical revival is always pleasing.

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  10. This was a nice post to read, thank you for it.

    The drawing room is a beautiful room. This is a house I will visit if I ever come to DC.

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  11. The serving kitchen is amazing! There is a similar sink in a Birmingham kitchen designed by Bates & Corkern; it's in the Nov issue of House Beautiful.

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  12. J & G, it is interesting that the drawing room has a chandelier but the dining room does not. Since it looks earlier than the house, perhaps it was among the family belongings of Mrs Wilson.

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  13. MLHB, the drawing room is indeed a handsome space. Having the pair of Palladian windows is a great asset.

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  14. TPoC, I saw the magazine and it reminded me that I had been meaning to do this post. This sink in the Wilson House is really wonderful! It is made of a high-zinc content Mexican Silver which is relatively soft; it will ding rather than chip the crystal and porcelain.

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  15. I truly enjoyed this splendid post... I plan to visit the historic house soon.

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  16. I would love to visit. Thank you for the details.

    "Wood had been closely associated with fine examples of American architecture from the Georgian and Federal periods". And he was right about the heavy Craftsman style being more costly than the delicate and more simple Colonial Revival style. Cheaper and nicer!

    But I am not quite sure how Wood felt his use of classicism was an inspiration to modern design. Did he mean modern design on the interiors (and not the facade)?

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  17. I'm a great fan of the Wilson House and found your post while doing some research on it. Thanks so much! I particularly enjoyed the photos.

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  18. Thanks, Peter. With the Textile Museum moving out of the John Russell Pope-designed house next door, I wish it could be acquired for the Woodrow Wilson Museum administration, orientation, gifts, exhibits, functions, etc.

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