a painting of James Hoban and George Washington supervising the White House construction

Inside the 18th-century contest to build the White House

In 1792, leading architects entered a competition to build the President's House, George Washington judged it, and the winner built an American icon.

Architect James Hoban (right) and President George Washington (left) supervise construction on the President’s House in this 1932 painting by N. C. Wyeth.
Photograph by THE WHITE HOUSE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
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