12. Big, Bigger, Biggest!
When the White House was being designed, the original architect Charles L’Enfant wanted an extremely ostentatious mansion. He envisioned the President’s residence to be more of a palace—similar to the palaces of the French royals.
President George Washington, who was overseeing the construction of the President’s new residence, detested L’Enfant’s work. They did not see things eye-to-eye. Washington eventually fired L’Enfant. The work was completed with James Hoban’s construction plans. The resulting residence was five times smaller than L’Enfant wanted the Presidential ‘Palace’ to be. It was still the largest home in the United States. It wasn’t until after the Civil War when mansions started popping up everywhere that the White House lost the title of being the largest house.
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