White House Redux

White House Redux

White House Redux responds to a call for ideas by the New York gallery, StoreFront for Art and Architecture, to reconsider or redesign the White House, the home of the sitting president of the United States of America. The existing White House designed by James Hoban was the winning entry to a design competition held in 1792. This ideas solicitation places that same power of imagination in the hands of architects and designers from around the world just prior to the election of the 44th president of the country. As the country considers the prospect of electing its first black president, Barack Obama, a mere century and a half after enslavement of blacks was abolished and a half century after segregation of races was ruled unlawful, we optimistically propose a reversal of color values. The White House becomes black. The all white exterior and interior become all black ascribing a more profound significance to this veneer of colour. Of the almost 500 proposals received from 42 countries around the world, no two were the same but common themes did highlight reoccurring interests percolating below the surface. Our design was one of nine entries that proposed to paint the White House black.