Presented by the White House Historical Association
White House Builder James Hoban’s Irish Roots
- Host
- Stewart McLaurin
- Guest
- Laurie Grace, Chairman of the James Hoban Society of Ireland; Brother Christy O’Carroll, Congregation of Christian Brothers; Ciarán O’Connor, State Architect of Ireland; Merlo Kelly, Senior Architect, Lotts Architecture & Urbanism; Brian O’Connell, Director and Founder of O’Connell Mahon Architects and a contributor to the book James Hoban: Designer and Builder of the White House
- Date
- 10/11/22
- Duration
- 23 minutes
Over 200 years ago, James Hoban left Ireland for America to pursue his dream of becoming an architect. Selected by President George Washington to design and build the President’s House, Hoban would go on to create one of the most famous and recognizable buildings in the world. What is now known as the White House started to come to life when its cornerstone was laid on October 13, 1792. In this episode of the White House 1600 Sessions, join Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association, as he travels to Hoban’s birthplace and retraces the young Irishman’s journey from County Kilkenny to Dublin, and discovers the architectural styles and designs that influenced Hoban before he set sail across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World.
Want to learn more about the White House architect? Get our book James Hoban: Designer and Builder of the White House.
Episodes
-
Jon Meacham on Lincoln and the American Struggle
Featuring Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and historian
-
White House: Next-Gen Designers
Featuring Tham Kannalikham, White House Historical Association Board Member and former White House interior designer; Steven Spandle, architect of the White House tennis pavilion; and Emily Bedard, Next-Gen Leader and Creative Director for Foster Reeve & Associates
-
White House Builder James Hoban’s Irish Roots
Featuring Laurie Grace, Chairman of the James Hoban Society of Ireland; Brother Christy O’Carroll, Congregation of Christian Brothers; Ciarán O’Connor, State Architect of Ireland; Merlo Kelly, Senior Architect, Lotts Architecture & Urbanism; Brian O’Connell, Director and Founder of O’Connell Mahon Architects and a contributor to the book James Hoban: Designer and Builder of the White House
-
Obama White House Portraits: The Artists
Featuring Robert McCurdy, Painted the Official White House Portrait of President Barack Obama; Sharon Sprung, Painted the Official White House Portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama
-
American Storyteller Bartlett Sher
Featuring Bartlett Sher, Tony Award-winning Director and Resident Director at Lincoln Center Theater
-
Jackie Kennedy's White House Guidebook 60th Anniversary
Featuring Renee Braden, National Geographic Society’s Senior Director of Library and Archives; Hon. Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State
-
James Hoban: The Charleston Years
Featuring Shea McEnerney, historic preservationist and Next-Gen Leader
President of the White House Historical Association
As President of the White House Historical Association Stewart McLaurin leads the nonpartisan, nonprofit in its mission to preserve, protect, and provide access to White House history. As a lifelong student of history, Stewart is an avid reader and storyteller. His first book, White House Miscellany was published this past year and he authors a quarterly column in the White House History Journal. Drawing on his own experiences, relationships, and knowledge he provides listeners with a front row seat to history at the White House.