HOBAN MEMORIAL ARBOR TO BE OFFICIALLY OPENED
Born 250 years ago, James Hoban was raised on the Earl of Desart's estate in Cuffesgrange, near Callan in Co. Kilkenny. He worked there as a wheelwright and carpenter until his early twenties, when he was given an 'advanced student' place in the Dublin Society's Drawing School on Lower Grafton Street.
After a short period as apprentice and junior architect in the service or shadow of some of the prominent professionals of the day (including Thomas Ivory and James Gandon), Hoban sought his fortune across the Atlantic, emigrating in 1785 to Philadelphia, where he befriended prominent politicians attending the early sessions of the U.S. Congress in the city.
A move to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1787 increased his circle of friends, and they in turn recommended him to George Washington when the President was forced to drop his long-time city planner and adviser Pierre Charles L'Enfant.
After securing the White House project, James Hoban went on to supervise the construction of the U.S. Capitol and early offices for the Departments of the Treasury, State and Navy & War. He rebuilt The White House after its destruction by the British in the War of 1812, and was still working on the building in the final years of his long life more than a quarter of a century later.
He acted as adviser to most of the U.S. Presidents who served in his lifetime, often assisting them in the ordering of their private residences as well as carrying out repairs and minor alterations to The White House.
His contribution to the civic and social life of the early Federal capital is particularly notable. He served several terms as a member and officer of the city council, organised early militia groups, and supervised the taking of the first census.
Hoban was also involved in the development of Catholic institutions in the city, including Georgetown University (where his son was a member of the Jesuit community), St. Patrick's Parish, and the Visitation Convent founded by another Kilkenny native, Alice Lalor of Ballyragget.
He died in December 1831 at the age of 'about 73', according to a contemporary newspaper account.
***NEWS***
The James Hoban Memorial Arbor, which commemorates the Kilkenny-born architect who designed and built The White House in Washington D.C., will be opened officially at 3.30pm on Sunday October 5th
The arbor, which incorporates a "Spirit of Place" installation created during the summer months by architecture students from the Catholic University of America, is located at Desart, Cuffesgrange.
Kilkenny County Council, in conjunction with the James Hoban Societies of Ireland and the United States, have developed the arbor on an island site created by the re-routing of a regional road (R691 to Ballingarry and Cashel) in the early 1950s
The original owner of the land, 92-year-old Miss Kitty Kelly, has been invited to attend the opening ceremonies. While the arbor site is located entirely in the townsland of Desart, the location of the Hoban cottage was actually in Riesk, on lands acquired by the Brennan family. The cottage survived until the 1940s.
The opening ceremonies will be attended by a delegation from the United States led by William Allman, the Curator of The White House and also including Judge Irvin Condon, President of the James Hoban Society of Charleston, who initiated the arbor project, and Dennis Blaschke, a direct Hoban descendant in architectural practice in Charleston.
Representatives of the US Embassy in Ireland are also expected to be present, and an invitation has been extended to Mr. Walter Curley, the U.S. ambassador of the time, who unveiled the original Hoban memorial at Desart/Riesk in 1976 and who now lives for part of the year in Co. Mayo.
The County Council representation at the opening ceremonies will be led by the chairman Cllr. Tomás Breathnach, and will include the three councillors who have been most involved in the advancement of the project - Tom Maher (FG), Matt Doran (FF) and Ann Phelan (Lab).
The further development of the arbor will include plantings of both Irish and American species to reflect the connection between Ireland and the United States.
An exhibit on the life and achievements of James Hoban, which is being mounted at the RDS Library in Dublin during October and November, will come to Kilkenny in early 2009 and it is hoped to find a more permanent location for it in the Callan area before the summer tourist season.
In conjunction with the official opening, a half-day conference on Hoban's life will be held in the Parade Tower of Kilkenny Castle on the afternoon of Saturday 4th. October. Organised by the Kilkenny Campus/NUI Maynooth, it will feature four speakers from the United States, and participants will also receive the special Hoban edition of the review 'White House History'. Admission to the conference is free.
Further details of the various Hoban commemoration events is available at www.whitehousehistory.org