The White House Ballroom (thread 7), Episode 1: Why George Washington Wouldn’t Let the White House Have a Ballroom

There’s so much noise in the world right now, so let’s take a quick inward pause: this episode walks through George Washington’s worry that a White House ballroom would turn the presidency into a courtly spectacle.

I’ll break down how ceremony, architecture, and symbols shaped the early republic — told like I’m explaining it to a friend over coffee. Short, sharp, and surprising: Washington would probably skip the dance.