original c. 1870's oversized cast bronze american emblematic interior department of war building doorknob fabricated by the hopkins and & dickinson company, new york, city. the massive bronze doorknob with largely uniform surface patina was designed by richard von ezdor. the state, war, and navy building, originally housing the departments of state, war, and the navy, was built between 1871 and 1888 in the french second empire style. it was designed by alfred b. mullett, supervising architect. patterned after french second empire architecture that clashed sharply with the neoclassical style of the other federal buildings in the city, it was generally regarded with scorn and disdain, and mullett, the exterior architect, ended his life by suicide, while in litigation. the oeob was referred to by mark twain as "the ugliest building in america. harry truman called it "the greatest monstrosity in america." historian henry adams called it mullett's “architectural infant asylum.” much of the interior was designed by richard von ezdorf using fireproof cast-iron structural and decorative elements, including massive skylights above each of the major stairwells and doorknobs with cast patterns indicating which of the original three occupying departments (state, navy, or war) occupied a particular space. the original tenants of the building quickly outgrew it and finally vacated it completely in the late 1930's. the building gradually came to be seen as inefficient and was nearly demolished in 1957. in 1969, the building received the highest recognition possible, becoming a national historic landmark. in 1981, plans began to restore all the "secretary of" suites. the main office of the secretary of the navy was restored in 1987 and is now used as the ceremonial office of the vice president of the united states. the building continues to house various agencies that compose the president's executive office, such as the office of the vice president, the office of management and budget, and the national security council. however, its most public purpose is that of the vice president's ceremonial office, which is mainly used for special meetings and press conferences. many celebrated national figures have participated in historical events that have taken place within the old executive office building. theodore roosevelt, william howard taft, franklin d. roosevelt, dwight d. eisenhower, lyndon b. johnson, gerald ford, and george h. w. bush all had offices in this building before becoming president. it has housed 16 secretaries of the navy, 21 secretaries of war, and 24 secretaries of state. sir winston churchill once walked its corridors and japanese emissaries met there with secretary of state cordell hull after the bombing of pearl harbor. president herbert hoover occupied the secretary of the navy's office for a few months following a fire in the oval office on christmas eve 1929. dwight d. eisenhower held the first televised presidential news conference in the building's indian treaty room (room 474) on january 19, 1955. in recent history, richard nixon had a private office there during his presidency, where his secret taping system recorded some of the conversations that proved the watergate scandal. vice president lyndon b. johnson was the first in a succession of vice presidents who have had offices in the building.