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 Many
of us will never have the opportunity to visit “our house”, the White
House in Washington, D.C., much less peer into the private areas of this
national symbol.
Located in nearby Clermont, adjacent to the
Citrus Tower on Route 27, is the “House of Presidents”, which was
originally built and opened by Jack Toole in 1962. This museum contains
a collection of artifacts from all 42 presidents and first ladies
showcased throughout the building. Inaugural ball gowns, dinner china,
Christmas cards and ornaments, and commemorative Easter eggs are all on
display. A replication of Abe Lincoln’s face and hands created in 1860
is one unusual example of the memorabilia collected over many years.
There are life-size wax figures, miniature figures, as well as pictures
of each president. Some of the
earliest first ladies also left recipes such as (Dolly) “Madison Cakes”.
 Special
decorations are used at Christmas, including the 14-foot Christmas train
that belonged to Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It was placed at the foot of
the White House tree each year in the Blue Room. Rosalyn Carter’s
dollhouse, all decorated with lights, garlands and sugar plum trees is
on display for all to enjoy.
John and Jan Zweifel have been involved with
the House of Presidents for many years. In 1962, John received
permission from the JFK Administration to build a model White House.
It was 1975 before the Zweifels were allowed
in to the White House to take measurements and photographs to pursue
their dream of creating an authentic model. In between, they used
existing photos, published drawings and took frequent public tours.
They, along with their six children
and thousands of volunteers, have painstakingly produced an authentic
model that is 60 feet long X 20 feet wide and weighing 10 tons, at a 1
inch/1 foot scale. Work on this replica has been ongoing for 40 years,
with over a million dollars used in research and materials. These
materials and paints are the same as those used in the White House. An
estimated 43 million people have viewed this
 model
White House with all its furnishings as it toured all 50 states. It was
shown in 385 spots around the world, including the Kennedy, Johnson and
Reagan Libraries, the Smithsonian Institute and the real White house in
Washington, D.C. At times, the model is transported to other parts of
the country for showing. It is currently on tour.
ex W. Scouten, Curator at the White House,
has said, “We all owe a debt of gratitude to the Zweifels. The White
House in miniature is a magnificent gift to the nation. Like the White
House itself, the miniature transcends politics and is to be shared with
all our citizens”.
If you would like to spend some time looking
back at some of our presidential history on your next visit to the
Sunshine State, perhaps the Zweifel’s “gift to the people” would be an
enjoyable addition to your agenda.
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