Towering over the White House, the colossal granite Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) was first constructed to house the departments of State, War, and Navy in the nineteenth century, and it now serves as the home of the Executive Office of the President. Having outlasted decades of plans threatening alteration or outright demolition, the building survives as one of the foremost examples of Second Empire design in the United States. Palace of State details the building's rich architectural and historical legacy -- from the beginnings of federal civic architecture in Washington to its construction as the world's largest office building after the Civil War, and culminating in the recently completed restoration process that began in the 1980s. Featuring beautifully rendered architectural drawings, historic images, and lush contemporary photography, this illustrated history presents a comprehensive study of an iconic landmark that continues to serve in its role as a monumental setting for statecraft.

Like Washington, D.C., the Old Executive Office Building [OEOB] has gone through some changes. Designed by architect Alfred B. Mullett and constructed during 1871-1888 at a cost of about ten million dollars, it was first referred to as the State, War and Navy Building because it housed those offices of the Federal Government. At the turn of this century the structure was rededicated as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building [EEOB]. It is no small curiosity that the building would be re-named for the 34th President of the United States, especially given the fact that it was almost demolished during his administration. Whatever its nomenclature, the building has had its detractors over time. The novelist Mark Twain called it the ugliest building in America. The historian Henry Adams likened it to an infant asylum. Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States, called it a monstrosity. Nowadays, most Washingtonians just call it the EEOB.Now a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the EEOB has a storied history, in part due to the list of Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Secretaries of State, War and Navy who have occupied its offices. During major renovation and rehabilitation of the building in the 1980s, Andrew Dolkart produced this historical study of the OEOB for the Office of Administration. Dolkart's original work, printed in 1984 by the United States Government Printing Office, is reproduced here in an abridged edition with editorial and illustrative enhancements.