The semi-circular Ionic portico of the Château de Rastignac is frequently compared with Maison carrée d'Arlac and the South Portico of the White House, and there have been speculations about the possible influences of one house on the other. The first official White House guide, published in 1962, suggested a link between Hoban's design for the South Portico and Château de Rastignac. Though James Hoban, the original White House architect, did not visit the region, the third American president, Thomas Jefferson (who had conducted architectural revisions of the White House) did visit the region and met architect Salat earlier, while serving as United States ambassador to France. Supporters of a connection posit that Thomas Jefferson, during his tour of Bordeaux in 1789, viewed Salat's architectural drawings (which were on-file at the College) at the École Spéciale d'Architecture (Bordeaux Architectural College). They further speculate, without proof, that on his return to the U.S. Jefferson may have shared the idea with Washington, Hoban, Monroe, and Benjamin Henry Latrobe.
