twentieth century Georgian Revival as expressed by Delano
& Aldridge and other American architectural firms, as a
modern counterbalance to the International Style which
dominated progressive architectural circles in the twentieth
century. Though well ornamented, the rooms are clean
and crisp. One imagines Franklin and Eleanor, George and
Mary, the penultimate couples of America and the British
Empire meeting there during the latter's visit to Washington
in a hasty effort, as World War II emerges, to solidify in the
American public's mind the historical journey both countries
faced against a tyrant. This house was built for such broad
historic encounters.
Not too long ago I attended a dinner hosted by British
George VI and President Roosevelt during the royal procession
through Washington, on 8 June 1939. The Architecture of
Diplomacy © Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential library, New York
HYLAND
