A flamboyant French Second Empire celebration with 553 rooms, 14 foot high ceilings, 2 miles of corridors, 900 Doric columns, and enough architectural detail to exhaust the eye. Originally the State, War, and Navy Building, it was the world's largest government building when finished. Now it houses the Executive Office and White House staffs. Harry Truman called this "the greatest monstrosity in America", yet he was one of the few who didn't want it torn down. Recently restored, the jewel is the three-story former War Department Library.
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