1861 Inaugural Ball

President Lincoln's first inaugural ball was held, not in the White House, but in a temporary building constructed for the occasion. This style of "pop-up architecture" was usually dismantled as soon as the event for which it was built ended. In the case of the ballroom, however, the building remained intact until 1866 and was used by the Union Army to house soldiers. Although the building was stripped when it began to be used for barracks, it was lavishly decorated for the inaugural ball and included rooms for dining, dancing, and dressing. One of the guests remarked that the inside of the ballroom resembled the "white muslin Palace of Aladin."