Stairs & Staircases

The White House

The White House was built between 1792 – 1800 out of white-painted Aquia sandstone. It is the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States, ever since President John Adams (1797-1801). It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington D.C.

The actual workplace of the executive was moved into the West Wing in 1901 when its construction was completed, as it the White House had become overly crowded. This had been part of a series of construction post the Burning of Washington. In the 1814, the British Army had set fire to the White House, destroying much of the interior. So reconstruction began under President James Monroe and continued to be refurbished under successive presidents. Today it consists of 6 stories and a two-story basement.

The White House Grand Staircase

The Grand Staircase of the White House connects the Entrance Hall with the Second Floor. The Second Floor is the official home of the American President. The Grand Staircase is used for the Presidential Entrance March ceremony. It was originally designed by James Hoban who envisioned two main staircases descending onto the State Floor at the Entrance Hall. He envisioned the Imperial stair form with a single centrain stair rising from the east to a landing on the west wall, with double runs returning back to the east on each side.

In 1803 Latrobe altered this, under Jefferson’s reconstruction, placing a double run on either side rising from the west to a landing on the east and a single run returning west to the second floor. During Roosevelt’s presidency the original ceremonial staircase at the west end was removed (1902). The present staircase is the fourth staircase located in the same space, and was built in 1952 during the Truman White House reconstruction.

The staircase’s interior walls have the seals of the original 13 states, while a bas-relief of the American eagle adorns it from above. The staircase has always been carpeted in some shade of red, though the degree of colour has changed over time.

Modern Style Staircases

Many modern staircases are designed as an eye-catching feature of the home. They typically have clear and elegant lines, and use a variety of materials and components. Modern stairs often use a combination of different materials such as steel, glass and timber for a striking effect. They can be straight, curved, spiral, u-shaped or angled. Modern staircases can also have more than one set of stairs (flights) and landings. The staircase can also be open or closed. A staircase is open when the treads have gaps between them, and closed when they do not.

There are also many types of handrails, whether continuous or wall mounted. Wall mounted handrails can be curved or straight, while continuous handrails are designed as well handrails, wreathed, swan necks and ramps, curved with intersections, or curved and ramping.

Modern Architectural Movements

The key characteristics of modern architecture include incorporating materials made widely available during the industrial revolution such as steel and glass. It was a style that originated in the early twentieth century and really took hold post-World War Two. Other characteristics include simplifying form, eliminating unnecessary ornamentation, and following the principle that ‘form follows function’.

The twentieth century has seen movements such as the Beaux Arts architecture (1890-1925), Neo-Gothic architecture (1905-1930), Art Deco (1925-1937), Art Moderne (1930-1945), Bauhaus school (1920s-1940s), Structuralism (began in the 1960s),  and Deconstructivism (began in the 1980s). Beaux Arts as a classical revival featured symmetry and elaborate ornamentation. Neo-Gothic architecture applied medieval features to modern buildings, which Art Deco used colourful and dramatic geometric designs. Art Moderne also used geometric figures, but was plainer and mostly white. The Bauhaus or International period was primarily a German movement that featured harmony between function and style. Structuralism seeks for harmony between opposites resulting in highly complex structures. Finally, Deconstructivism (which is actually a postmodern movement) is characterised by unpredictability, fragmentation, and non-rectilinear shapes.