Fun Facts About HVAC in the Executive Mansion
As President's Day comes, people turn their minds to the infrastructure that makes the nation's federal government. It has taken many years for the nation's buildings to reach the point where they are now. Many of the buildings were completed in the early 1800s when technology was scarce. As a result, all of the buildings have undergone numerous upgrades over the centuries.
The White House is no different.
Originally completed in 1800, it lacked all of the luxuries enjoyed in modern life. It even lacked basic indoor plumbing that was becoming available at the time. Heating and air conditioning wouldn't come till much later. This President's Day, take a moment to appreciate the ways that the nation's presidents have beaten the heat.
Retreating Outdoors
The area around Washington D.C. is known for its stifling humidity and summer heat. This led many of the nation's first leaders to find creative ways of dealing with the heat. The easiest way was to have a summer retreat in the nearby hills or take a vacation closer to the coast, where one could enjoy cooling breezes.
President Taft had another idea. By his administration, electricity was slowly becoming available. He had a system designed wherein a fan would blow over large bins of ice to cool air that was then distributed by the heating system's ducts. He also had a porch built on the roof to enjoy the breeze as he slept.
President Wilson hated Taft's machine and didn't use it. However, during his first summer in the White House, he found the heat so unbearable that he moved his office out into a tent on the lawn. The tent was furnished with everything available to him in the Oval Office. He used it as his main office space until his secretary's nearby tennis games became too much of a distraction.
President Nixon's Frosty White House
During President Truman's second term, he had the White House gutted and rebuilt. 150 years of renovations and upgrades were causing the structure to become dangerously compromised. Only the outer shell was saved; everything else was rebuilt.
During this upgrade, the White House got all of its modern amenities, including air conditioning. While it was a welcome upgrade, it became a source of contention. President Johnson, a miser with the electric, still kept his living space so cold that he slept with an electric blanket. Additionally, President Nixon kept the fireplace in his office running in the summer.
Heat Comes To the White House
The first central heating system was a rudimentary design called a gravity hot air system installed in 1840. The system used a central furnace to heat air pulled from each room then redistributed back after it was heated. This system only heated two portions of the White House, which was terribly inefficient. It was slowly expanded to include more of the mansion.
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