The President’s House A Look in Pictures

"Washington's Residence, High Street." Lithograph by William L. Beton. From John Fanning Watson's Annals of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, 1830), PL. facing p.361. Library Company of Philadelphia. Some copies of the 1830 edition of the Annals have the other Breton lithograph of the President's House.

"The House intended for the President of the United States, in Ninth Street, Philadelphia." Both Presidents Washington and Adams declined to occupy this mansion. Engraving by William Russell Birch and Thomas Birch. From The City of Philadelphia...As It Appeared in the Year 1800 (Philadelphia, 1799),

"Richd Penn's Burnt House Lott — Philadelphia." This groundplan seems to show the property as it was in 1781 when Robert Morris contracted to buy it, although he did not obtain full title of the property until North is toward the bottom. Unknown draftsman, ca RG-17 Land Office Map Collection, Pennsylvania State Archives.

Burt Ground Plan Facsimile, 1875?. Nathaniel Burt [II], Address of Nathaniel Burt, February 12, 1875: On the Washington Mansion in Philadelphia (Philadelphia, 1875), 0pp. 13. A second version of the Burnt House Plan (ca. 1785) descended in the family of Nathaneil Burt, who had purchased the property in This facsimile was published with his son's lecture in The only significant difference between the two plans is the line along the Wood Yard between the back of the kitchen ell and the stable complex is solid in the Burnt House Plan and dotted in this version. The facsimile is dated August 25, 1785.

Conjectural floorplan of the President's House in Philadelphia — first floor. The two-story bow on the south side of the main house, the servants' hall and the slave quarters were all added by George Washington in North is toward the bottom. © Edward Lawler, Jr.

Conjectural floorplan of the President's House in Philadelphia — second floor. The President's Room, formerly a bathingroom, served as the private office/study (and problaby Cabinet room) for Washington and Adams. North is toward the bottom.

Conjectural Plan, Third Floor. North is to the bottom. The office staff worked in the Presidential Business Office, the equivalent of today's West Wing, and were housed in the adjacent bedrooms. The Summer Room probably housed guests.

Revised Conjectural Elevation of the President's House in Philadelphia. Evidence for the third floor room atop the President's Office and the change in the icehouse roof is presented in the October 2005 sequel to this article in PMHB.

Hall and passage of "Widehall" (ca. 1769) in Chestertown, Maryland. Photo by Albert Kruse, April 24, Historic American Building Survey, no. MD-550.

This composite photograph of the staircase from Shirley Plantation (Charles City County, VA) superimposed on the arcade from Widehall (Chestertown, MD, Fig. 5) gives a good idea of the stair hall in the Philadelphia house. This is where a delegation of Chickasaw chiefs smoked a pipe with Washington and a young John Qunicy Adams.

Mantelpiece (ca.1781) from the President's House at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. It is currently on loan to Mount Vernon. Photo by Jack E. Boucher, ca Historic American Buildings Survey, no. PA-1942.

"Genrl Washington's Residence [now nos 192 and 194 High St.]." The notations read, "built by — Masters [sic] before the Rev.n One of his daughters married Richard Penn, then Govnr." and "built for Wm Masters [sic] who mard Polly Lawrence. It was a rarity as having big panes of glafs ~." Ink drawing on paper by John Fanning Watson from his 1823 notes for Annals of Philadelphia, facing p.236-1/2. Library Company of Philadelphia.

"Washington's Residence, High Street, Philadelphia." The architectural features of the President's House's first story were removed as early as 1804 when the building was converted into stores. This view shows the building as it looked just prior to demolition. Watercolor by William G. Mason. Dated May 1, 1832.

"Residence of Geo. Washington and R. Morris, south-east corner of Sixth and Market Streets, Philadelphia." The notation at the bottom left reads, "Drawn from memory by C.A. Poulson." Wood engraving by Charles A. Poulson and an unknown engraver. From William Brotherhead, ed., Sanderson's Biography of the Signers (Philadelphia: 1865), 337.

"Market Street between Fifth & Sixth Streets, south side." Photograph, ca Philadelphia Rapid Transit Photo Albums. Gift of Clarence D. Jones, Society Collection, Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

"The Morris House, Philadelphia." Ink and wash on paper by Harry Fenn, ca Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union.

R. Brognard Okie, Sketch of the President's House Replica for the Sesquicentennial Exposition, 1925.

"Robert Morris House (known as Washington Mansion) 190 High Street." Photostat of drawing by Harry W. Neff and Charles Abell Murphy (based on the designs of David H. Morgan). Dated "[19]38." Free Library of Philadelphia.

Comparison of the Market Street elevations for five conjectural views of the President's House from the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

Demolition of Market Street. Photo dated November 1, Evening Bulletin Newspaper Collection, Urban Archives, Temple University.

"The Present-day Appearance of the Site upon Which the Presidential Mansion Stood, One Block North of Independence Hall." Photo, ca From Charles E. Peterson, Final Report to the United States Congress by the Philadelphia National Shrines Park Commission (December 1947), vol. 7, facing p Independence National Historical Park Archives.

Southeast Corner of Sixth and Market Streets, 1949, with overlay. The President's House's east wall (center) survived almost intact as the party wall shared with 524 Market. The west wall may have survived until the 1941 demolition of the adjacent buildings, and one story of this may be visible here as the party wall shared with Devitt Hardware. All of these buildings were demolished, , during the creation of Independence Mall.

Excavation of the icehouse pit from the President's House in Philadelphia. Photo by NPS archaeologist Jed Levin, December 2001.

Groundplan of the first block of Independence Mall, northwest corner (prior to November 2000), with additions by the author. ©2001 Edward Lawler, Jr. All rights reserved. North is to the bottom. Existing features based on Anna Coxe Toogood et al., Cultural Landscape Report: Independence Mall (June 1994), figs. 29, 41. Independence National Historical Park Archives; and the writer's own measurements.

Demolition of the Public Toilet, This public toilet was constructed on the President's House site in 1954 and demolished on May 27, 2003.

Washington's Presidential Desk, attributed to Thomas Burling, New York City, Mahogany, pine, mahogany veneer, ebony and maple inlays. Atwater Kent Musuem, Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection, gift (to HSP) of Charles Hare Hutchinson, Washington purchased this French-style desk from Thomas Burling in Mrs. Samuel Powel bought it for $245 at the March 10, 1797 auction of Washington's Philadelphia household furniture.

Revised Conjectural Plan, First Floor. North is to the bottom.

"Presumed Portrait of George Washington's Cook," 1790s?, attributed to Gilbert Stuart.

2003 National Park Service map showing the President's House ground plan overlaid on the Liberty Bell Center outline. North is to the top. The smokehouse is the small building attached to the Wash House, and its extension is labeled "Slave Quarters."