John McShain

Title

John McShain

Description

John McShain was a building contractor in charge of the construction of many federal buildings in Washington during the 1900s. On the Mall, he was responsible for building the Jefferson Memorial and was trusted with remodeling the White House during Harry Truman's presidency. During his heyday as a builder, a common saying was that L'Enfant may have designed Washington, DC, but McShain was the man who built it. McShain's great volume of work led one radio broadcaster to quip in 1949 that signs in the city should be changed to "Welcome to Washington - John McShain, Builder."

Creator

John McShain

Source

Hagley Museum and Library. View original photograph.

Coverage

1920-1949

1950-1979

birthday

12/21/1896

Theme

building the mall

design & monuments