Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in Washington

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building is an elegant building of French Second Empire style, neighbour of the White House. The Washington audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this remarkable building, which shelters services of the presidency and testifies to the sumptuous architecture of the nineteenth century.

The Second Empire palace of the presidency

Built between 1871 and 1888, this elegant building reveals a French Second Empire style, sumptuous and recognisable, then very fashionable, inspired by the official architecture of the Paris of Napoleon III. With its imposing silhouette, its high mansard roofs, its columns, its pavilions and its profusion of ornaments, it contrasts by its exuberance with the neoclassical sobriety of the other official buildings of the capital. Located just next to the White House, it was designed to shelter great ministries of the government, including those of Foreign Affairs, War and the Navy. Today, it hosts numerous services and offices attached to the presidency of the United States, prolonging the workspaces of the neighbouring White House. The building bears the name of Dwight Eisenhower, general hero of the Second World War and thirty-fourth president of the country. Considered one of the finest examples of this architectural style in the United States, it is a remarkable witness of the splendour of the nineteenth century. A Second Empire palace and an annex of the presidency, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building is a fine stop of the discovery of Washington.

What to see

You admire the elegant building constructed between 1871 and 1888 in the sumptuous French Second Empire style inspired by the Paris of Napoleon III, with high mansard roofs and a profusion of ornaments, which contrasts with the neoclassical sobriety of the capital; neighbour of the White House, it shelters services of the presidency and bears the name of President Eisenhower. The Eisenhower Executive Office Building is a jewel of the nineteenth century in Washington. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building lies just next to the White House, in Washington, reachable on foot and by public transport. You admire its façade from outside; it is an official building whose interior access is restricted and follows its own conditions. You discover it during a walk in the presidential district.

What is the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington?

An elegant building constructed between 1871 and 1888 in the sumptuous French Second Empire style inspired by the Paris of Napoleon III, with high mansard roofs and a profusion of ornaments; neighbour of the White House, it sheltered great ministries and today hosts services of the presidency of the United States, and bears the name of President Eisenhower.