Pete Sharkey: model citizen

Pete has passed along a link to his new blog Wingnut's Workings, where he is documenting his progress on his fantastic White House models. Anyone who has read this blog should be familiar with his Oval Office and White House exterior models, but now he's completing the West Wing interior! It will take months to finish, he warns, but already he has dizzyingly gorgeous pics of the Cabinet Room and others. To Pete, I award the Charles McKim Astonishing Accomplishment Loving Cup (the "Charlie Cup").

White House furniture

John in NOLA sent a note that reminded me that I've never mentioned that reproductions of White House furniture are available from New York First Company, The History Company, and others. You can buy a full-scale reproduction of the Resolute desk, a queen-size reproduction of the Lincoln Bed, and Kittinger chairs of the same models used in the Cabinet Room, Roosevelt Room, and elsewhere (also available direct from Kittinger).

You can also get the desk directly from Victorian Replicas (US, I think), where it's bargain-priced at 6 Gs instead of 12. Over at The President's Desk (Canadian), you'll pay more, but you can have it your way, in oak or mahogany, in three sizes, and with a variety of leather tops. And you can get matching credenzas and bookcases. Similar choices are available from Dominic Gerard (US, but made in Asia).

Rafi Furniture (Indonesia) seems to offers the Resolute and the Lincoln Bed (also queen-size) for far less than the others and claims to be highly accurate. Ryuki Furniture (Indonesia?) makes the desk also. The East Bay Trading Company offers one for a little more, probably imported from Rafi or Ryuki, altho they specify that it features a fold-down front for a keyboard and grommets for monitor wiring.

I'm curious as to whether any readers have ever bought one of these replicas.

Announcing: The White House in 3D

I have just posted a new page to house the latest addition to the site: Pete Sharkey's incredible 3D White House. Pete has put untold hours into building a complete and highly detailed and accurate Presidential Park with White House extererior and grounds, giving us the opportunity to view it from perspectives we've never had before. Look all around the roof, the grounds, the gardens.... It's amazing.

For those who remember Pete's fantastic Oval Office replica, this one is only the exterior, so you can't peak into Laura Bush's dressing room.

You'll need to load Google's SketchUp or SketchUp Viewer (both free) and download the BIG 20 MB file, or you can just look at the many great images on the page. You can use the tour feature (View>Animation>Play) or click on the page tabs on the top of the opened model to see preset views

Thanks, Pete! For diligence, persistence, and patience in toiling in the basement over a hot oven, I hereby award you the Chef Roland Mesnier Baked Mansion Award (the "Rollie").

White House replicas

Think you love the White House? Did you build your house to look like it? These people (and the Chinese and Lego governments) did....

Atlanta house

West of DC house

West of DC house from opposite angle

Chinese replica museum

Lego White House

And, of course, the Zweifel White House in Miniature

Thanks to Pete for the links.... Stay tuned for Pete's release of his 3D replica built in Google Sketchup. I've seen tantalizing tidbits, and I'm on pins and needles.

Virtual White House tour: meh

Someone called Henny X has produced a virtual White House for Sim games. I don't know a lot about the Sim universe, but I can see that a lot of work went into creating the replica, but not a lot of research....

UPDATE: John's link to JBK's childhood home

UPDATE: Shane's sim Octagonal Office