In 1792, a young architect from Kilkenny, Ireland began work on what would become one of the world’s most famous landmarks. Centuries later, James Hoban, who designed and supervised the building of the White House, is now being remembered along with other Irish Americans who have made significant contributions to American history.
At a reception on March 20 at the newly opened Irish Embassy on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., Ireland’s Ambassador to the US Geraldine Byrne Nason highlighted Hoban’s life and said he is among those Irish Americans who have left their “Irish fingerprints” on the founding of the United States.
“Irish immigrants helped shape the ideas at the heart of this great country,” Nason told the nearly 200 guests, pointing out that 23 U.S. presidents are of Irish heritage.
According to White House Historical Association historian Matthew Costello, Hoban relied on other Irish immigrants as well as enslaved laborers to realize his vision, based at Leinster House in Dublin in the 1800s.
John Adams would have been the first president to move into the White House, but the British set fire to Hoban’s work and burned the mansion during the War of 1812.
Costello told EWTN News that Hoban would return to rebuild the White House using the same Irish brothers as his stalwarts. His camaraderie with Irish immigrants developed not only because of their shared origins but also because of his Catholic faith at a time when Catholics were viewed with great suspicion – and often with hostility. The constitutions of many states bar Catholics from holding public office.
James Hoban, the Irish-born architect who designed the White House, is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, DC. Credit: Stephanie Green
Although the Jesuits brought Catholicism to America before the Revolution and founded Georgetown University in what was then Georgetown, Maryland, Hoban is celebrated as the founding father of the Irish Catholic community in the federal city, which he nurtured and built, like one of its famous buildings.
In 1794, in anticipation of more Irish immigrants arriving in Washington, D.C., Hoban – along with fellow immigrant Father Anthony Caffrey of County Mayo – began construction of St. Patrick’s Church, which today is the oldest Catholic parish in Washington, D.C.
Like the White House, the church was damaged by fire by the British invaders, but continues in its present iteration in the center of the capital. Pope Francis visited the church in 2015.
By the time of Hoban’s death in 1831, Irish Catholics had made considerable inroads into American society. The renowned architect would serve as a captain in the Washington militia and city council. He is credited with the Octagon House in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, various public buildings and city projects, and became superintendent of construction of the U.S. Capitol.
A portrait of James Hoban, an Irish-American immigrant, White House architect and builder. | Credit: Stephanie Green
Hoban’s personal papers were burned in a fire after his death, which prevented historians from learning more about the man. Nevertheless, every year, the White House Historical Association gathers at Hoban’s grave in Mount Olivet Cemetery to keep his memory alive.
Hoban’s contributions were honored at a ceremony held on March 20 this year to mark America’s 250th anniversary. Monsignor Vseslav Tumir, first counselor of the Apostolic Nunciature, was there to salute Hoban’s ongoing relationship with the Catholic community.
Following a wreath-laying ceremony at the cemetery hosted by the White House Historical Association and attended by Mark Carney of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Irish Ambassador’s guests gathered at the embassy, where Nason praised Hoban and other Irish patriots for their impressive contributions to historic architectural buildings as well as lending their “Irishness” to the ideals of a young nation.
The Embassy has brought together many examples of these contributions in a new exhibit titled “The Emerald Thread,” which depicts how the Irish diaspora has been woven into American history. The artifacts are on display in a room overlooking the city and will be displayed during America 250 celebrations this summer.
A large portrait of Hoban – a gift to the Ambassador from the White House Historical Association – is one of the exhibition’s many treasures.
Other Irish-American heroes highlighted by the embassy in the exhibit include Stephen Moylan of Cork, an Irish Catholic who became part of George Washington’s inner circle and served as his aide-de-camp during the siege of Boston.
