All Weekend, Every Weekend. On C-SPAN3.

American Artifacts: National Building Museum & Inaugural Balls

President McKinley's Inaugural Ball in the Pension Building

President McKinley's Inaugural Ball in the Pension Building

Washington, DC
Saturday, January 19, 2013

The first Inaugural Ball held in the National Building Museum was Grover Cleveland’s in 1885, when it was known as the Pension Building and was still under construction.  Composed of over 15 million red bricks, the Pension Building contains a Great Hall that is 316 feet long and 159 feet high. American History TV visited to learn about the 19th century Inaugural tradition that continues in the 21st century, including President Obama's Commander-in-Chief Ball held there in January of 2009.

Updated: Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 11:01pm (ET)

Related Events

American Artifacts: Treasury Building Restoration
Sunday, April 17, 2011     

Treasury Department Curator Richard Cote takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Cash Room, the Salmon Chase Suite, and the President Andrew Johnson Suite. Each of these rooms has recently been restored as part of an ongoing renovation effort funded by the Treasury Historical Association. This is the first half of a two part program.

American Artifacts: U.S. Department of Treasury Building Part 2
Sunday, May 15, 2011     

Curator Richard Cote leads us on a tour of the Treasury building to learn about a long-term restoration project begun in 1986. In the second half of a two-part program, we see Secretary Timothy Geithner's office, a suite of rooms that has served Treasury Secretaries since 1910. We also learn about the restoration of the ornate West Dome and the gold gilding that had once been painted over and forgotten.

History Bookshelf: Jonathan Hansen
Today     

Jonathan Hansen presents a history of America's presence at Guantanamo Bay.  The author reports on the United States' early interest in the area, which was central to U.S. plans to control the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.  Mr. Hansen examines the creation of the U.S. naval base and prison at Guantanamo and its continued use despite calls for its closure.

Legacy of Kentucky Senator John Crittenden
Today     

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell talks about the political career of fellow Kentuckian John J. Crittenden, a member of the U.S. Senate in the 1880s.  A friend and ally of Henry Clay's, Crittenden also served as Kentucky's governor and twice as U.S. attorney general. Senator McConnell emphasizes Crittenden’s commitment to the Union before and during the Civil War and reflects on what current lawmakers can learn from former legislators. This event was hosted by Eastern Kentucky University.

Slavery: From Scholarship to Public Interpretation
Today     

How is slavery interpreted at historic sites – and how has that interpretation evolved over the last quarter century? Those were among the questions addressed at a conference convened at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to consider the history of slavery scholarship and how it makes its way to the American public.

Oral Histories: John Eisenhower
Today     

These are unedited excerpts from a 1995 conversation with President Eisenhower’s son, John. A retired U.S. Army Brigadier General, he talks about his father’s role as Supreme Allied Commander Europe. He also discusses Ike’s relationships with American and British generals and how he compromised with Allied nations to bring World War II in Europe to an end. Independent producer George Colburn conducted this interview as part of a documentary series on Dwight D. Eisenhower’s military and political career – a period covering from 1941 to 1961.  His latest project –  “Eisenhower’s Secret War” – debuts on public television stations nation-wide in May. Hosted by Evan Thomas, author of “Ike’s Bluff," Mr. Colburn’s two-part program focuses on Ike’s campaign to wage peace in the aftermath of World War II.

Life Portraits: James Garfield
Sunday     

In this program from our 1999 "American Presidents: Life Portraits" series we focused on James Garfield's life and career. Historians discussed Garfield's military service, his election as president and assassination shortly after his inauguration. Suzanne Miller, the site manager at Garfield's home in Mentor, Ohio, talked about several of the artifacts and documents that Garfield left behind. 

History of Columbia, South Carolina
Sunday     

C-SPAN’s Local Content Vehicles take American History TV on the road. Throughout the weekend of May 18-20 we feature the history of Columbia, South Carolina.

Loyalists in NYC During the American Revolution
Sunday     

Thousands of colonists rejected the War for American Independence and many fled to the British stronghold of New York City. San Jose State University History Professor Ruma Chopra discusses the situation in the city and the perspective of those who looked upon the British as natural allies in religion, language and blood and thought the violence of rebellion was unnecessary and unlawful.

The Presidency: Eisenhower & Civil Rights
Sunday     

This is a look at President Eisenhower’s views and actions in the area of civil rights, including the desegregation of the armed forces, his appointments of pro-civil rights Supreme Court justices and the dispatching of the 101st Airborne division to assist in the integration of Little Rock High School in Arkansas.  This discussion was part of a conference titled, “Ike Reconsidered: Lessons from the Eisenhower Legacy for the 21st Century,” co-hosted by Hunter College, City University of New York, the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute & the Eisenhower Foundation.

Share This Event Via Social Media

Related Resources

C-SPAN on Facebook (late 2012)
Questions? Comments? Email us at AmericanHistoryTV@c-span.org