History: Action Central

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The White House will celebrate its 200th birthday on Nov. 1, and right now the White House Historical Association is searching for someone rotund enough to play the role of President John Adams, the first President to take up residence there. All he has to do is climb into an antique carriage on Pennsylvania Avenue around 1 p.m. that day and make his way to the White House to commemorate the fateful first entry, which at the time was barely noted. The original Adams had some doubts about the place even before he left Philadelphia; the mansion was too big and ostentatious for his ascetic New England soul, it was located by a smelly swamp--and it wasn't even finished. Nevertheless, when he got there he accepted what some called "Washington's palace," went in to do a little work, had supper and then, taking a candle, went up to bed--no doubt still wondering at the raw loneliness of that new building.

He never moved out, nor did any of his successors. The White House is now the most renowned and important building in the world and one of half a dozen symbols of liberty instantly recognized around this planet. An odd creature--part home and office, part museum--it may be one reason the U.S. has been so successful. President George Bush, a dedicated family man, says when things got tense during crisis meetings in the Cabinet Room or the Oval Office, he could always glance out the windows over the South Lawn and see his grandchildren playing with his dogs or chief gardener Irv Williams digging in the flower beds or perhaps a staff member warming up on the horseshoe pits that Bush had had installed. "It made you realize what being President was all about," insists Bush.

On Nov. 1, the faux Adams will be piped into the White House by the Army's fife and drums. Historian David McCullough, who is finishing a book on the difficult relationship between Adams and Thomas Jefferson, will deliver a brief address on the meaning of the moment. If President Bill Clinton is not out campaigning, he will add remarks for any and all citizens who want to stop by and listen from the front lawn and Lafayette Park, just like they did two centuries ago.

Like so many other things in that time, the White House came about because of the determination of George Washington. He never got to live there, but he made certain that James Hoban's design took shape. It was strongly hinted that Washington practiced favoritism in getting the real estate and construction materials, but he brushed the criticism aside and made regular inspection trips as construction lurched forward.