Landmarks have secrets
Helicopters on the Empire State Building? Secrets about US buildings
Image: Zoshua Colah
Did you know that the Golden Gate Bridge wasn’t supposed to stay that color? Or that the White House wasn’t meant to have that name? Could you guess which of our iconic buildings shows a map of the stars that’s, err… wrong? We think we are somewhat acquainted with the basic facts about the most famous structures in our country. But here is a list of some behind-the-scenes stories you probably hadn’t heard before!
1
How the White House gained its name
Originally, the building was called the "President’s House." That only changed after the 1814 fire. During the War of 1812, British troops marched into Washington and set many buildings on fire, including the main one.
Walls were scorched, and smoke damage lingered inside and outside the building. When repairs began, painters coated the building white to cover the burn marks . This resulted in the "White House" nickname. Nearly a century later, Theodore Roosevelt made it official.
2
A hidden underground beneath America’s books
Have you ever heard of the Library of Congress's underground tunnels? Most visitors never see them or learn about them. They connect their buildings, allowing staff to transport rare books and documents safely and efficiently. Fragile, valuable materials had better be protected from the weather, the sunlight, and, well, the people!
3
The Golden Gate Bridge wasn’t supposed to stay red
The reddish color of the Golden Gate Bridge (officially named "International Orange") was supposed to be a temporary priming coat to protect the steel.
However, when engineers looked at the bright color peeking through the fog against the stunning blue and green of the San Francisco Bay, they said, "You know what?" It should stay like that. The Navy proposed painting it black and yellow, but it was never done. The stunning color turned it into one of the most iconic buildings in the world.
4
The Empire State Building wanted to welcome airships
Back in 1931, the Empire State Building’s spire was intended as a mooring mast to serve as a docking station for airships. The idea was that passengers should be able to step directly into Manhattan from the sky!
Sure, it was a futuristic plan, but it was eventually dismissed for being wildly dangerous. Passengers would have had to climb out at dizzying heights in strong winds. Not ideal! And certainly not glamorous.
5
The famous ceiling that got the stars wrong
You may have seen images of Grand Central Terminal’s celestial ceiling —or seen it with your own eyes. But there’s a twist: Did you know that the constellations in it are painted backward?
The way they are represented is as if viewed from outside the universe, rather than from Earth. Whether it was a mistake by the artist or it was an intentional reverse on cosmic perspective, the terminal ceiling has looked like this since its opening in 1913.
6
The president who quietly ran a whiskey empire
George Washington is remembered as a general and a president, of course. But he was also a major whiskey producer. Hidden on the grounds of Mount Vernon was a fully functioning distillery, built in the late 1790s.
By the time of Washington’s death, it was producing nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey a year. That made him one of the largest distillers in the young United States!
7
The iconic façade didn’t exist during the battle
When you think of the Alamo, you surely picture its iconic façade. However, that structure was not part of the original mission!
During the famous 1836 battle, the building looked far simpler, and it lacked its now-famous curved top. That façade was added decades later by the U.S. Army when the structure was used as a supply depot
8
Why visitors can no longer climb to the torch
Did you ever hear some old relative’s anecdote ot climbing all the way to the top of Lady Liberty’s torch? They weren’t lying: Up until 1916, visitors could. However, around that time, some explosions in a nearby munitions depot sent shockwaves through the statue.
The blast damaged the torch and weakened its structure. For safety reasons, access was permanently closed to the public.
9
The concrete that is still hardening today
The Hoover Dam contains so much concrete that it generates heat as it cures. Engineers knew that if poured as one solid mass, it would take more than a century to cool and could crack.
Instead, they built it using interlocking concrete blocks, each cooled with circulating water. Even so, parts of the dam are still slowly curing today.
10
The building that accidentally cooked its neighbors
When the Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in Los Angeles, its gleaming metal exterior stunned visitors. But it also caused an unexpected problem…
The highly reflective steel panels bounced sunlight onto nearby sidewalks and apartments. In some spots, the glare was so intense that it melted materials! As a result, engineers eventually had to dull parts of the surface.
11
The Capitol’s dome isn’t stone
The grand, massive dome atop the U.S. Capitol looks like solid stone, doesn’t it? But, in fact, it is made of cast iron.
In the mid-1800s, stone was considered too heavy and expensive for such an ambitious structure. Cast iron allowed builders to create a taller, more ornate dome that weighs nearly nine million pounds.
