Considered to be one of the world's greatest miniature houses, the replica is the result of over 30 years of research and construction by the Zweifel family. The tiny, working telephones, hand-carved chairs and tables, and miniature carpets that reproduce the original stitch by stitch, are all proof of great craftsmanship and minute attention to detail.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
What does it take to spend more than three decades on a model of the White House? For the Zweifel family along with hundreds of volunteers, the expenditure of a half million hours was more than a patriotic mission. This book also tells the story of the maneuvering and perseverance necessary to obtain the permissions and money necessary to reproduce the inside and outside of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with absolute precision and fidelity. Color photographs of more than 30 well-known White House rooms, from the Oval Office to Lincoln's bedroom, capture the details of craftsmanship. The text explains not only the historical background of each room, but also the feats and talent required to build miniatures. Barbara Jacobs
From Kirkus Reviews
No doubt about it--this book, which presents (with infinite care) the miniature White House constructed by John and Jan Zweifel (with more than infinite care), is astonishing. The miniature White House, built on a one-foot-to-one-inch scale, is beyond astonishing, replicating each room of the real White House down to floral arrangements, dining services, and, when possible, hand carvings on table legs. Kathleen Culbert-Aguilar's photographs (accompanied by Cooper Union professor Buckland's text) seem designed to accomplish two things: first, to allow us access to places, like the Reagans' bedroom, not included in the normal White House tour; second, to make us wonder at the craftsmanship of the replica. This she does by means of clever interventions like putting a real poker hand (a full house) in the model Green Room. The persistence of the Zweifels, who first got the Kennedy administration interested in the project but weren't allowed into the White House to take the necessary measurements and pictures until the Ford administration (Gerald Ford and his wife contribute the foreword), is boggling. But isn't this fetishistic reverence for executive wallpaper also a bit perverse? What does it mean that we want to banish the presidency to Lilliput? And how come there aren't any toilets? -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WONDERFUL!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The White House in Miniature: Based on the White House Replica by John, Jan, and the Zweifel Family (Hardcover)
If you ever wanted to see the Presidents bedroom or the First Lady's dressing room....get this book - a truly WONDERFUL treat!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable reading,
By Homemaker "ela-123" (Greenfield, WI United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The White House in Miniature: Based on the White House Replica by John, Jan, and the Zweifel Family (Hardcover)
We saw the miniature White House exhibit while it was visiting Wisconsin and this book is a history of the replica as well as historical information on the actual White House. The exhibit is amazing and the book tells about the building of the replica and gives details on the various rooms and their furnishings. Overall, a great piece of Americana and a great book for anyone interested in the White House or in the building of miniatures.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating book!,
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This review is from: The White House in Miniature: Based on the White House Replica by John, Jan, and the Zweifel Family (Hardcover)
I gave this to Mom for Christmas and she loved it, very thorough. Highly recommed it for anyone who has an interest in doll houses.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Abigail Adams hanging laundry to dry in the East Room is a well-known anecdote of American history. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
west colonnade, north portico Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Oval Office, East Room, John Zweifel, United States, Jacqueline Kennedy, George Washington, State Dining Room, Blue Room, West Wing, Lincoln Bedroom, New York, Red Room, Treaty Room, Green Room, Rose Garden, Theodore Roosevelt, William Seale, Harry Truman, Abraham Lincoln, Diplomatic Reception Room, Thomas Jefferson, East Wing, Pennsylvania Avenue, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Abigail Adams hanging laundry to dry in the East Room is a well-known anecdote of American history. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
west colonnade, north portico Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Oval Office, East Room, John Zweifel, United States, Jacqueline Kennedy, George Washington, State Dining Room, Blue Room, West Wing, Lincoln Bedroom, New York, Red Room, Treaty Room, Green Room, Rose Garden, Theodore Roosevelt, William Seale, Harry Truman, Abraham Lincoln, Diplomatic Reception Room, Thomas Jefferson, East Wing, Pennsylvania Avenue, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 20
books:
See all 20 books this book cites
- The White House (What Do American Symbols Mean to Us?) by Nick Healy on 4 pages
- Winston Churchill (Twentieth-Century History Makers) by Simon Adams on page 70, and page 73
- Theodore Roosevelt (Profiles of the Presidents) by Robert Green on page 38, and page 51
- A Rose Garden by Rosalie Ann Johnson on page 86, and page 129
- First Lady: The Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Notable Americans) by Aaron Boyd on page 22
See all 20 books this book cites
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