History | whitehouse.gov Holidays History This is really what the White House is all about. It’s the “People’s House.” It’s a place that is steeped in history, but it’s also a place where everyone should feel welcome. And that's why my husband and I have made it our mission to open up the house to as many people as we can. Michelle Obama Our first president, George Washington , selected the site for the White House in 1791. The cornerstone was laid in 1792 and a competition design submitted by Irish-born architect James Hoban was chosen. After eight years of construction, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved into the unfinished house in 1800. During the War of 1812, the British set fire to the President’s House in 1814. James Hoban was appointed to rebuild the house, and President James Monroe moved into the building in 1817. During Monroe’s administration, the South Portico was constructed in 1824, and Andrew Jackson oversaw the addition of the North Portico in 1829.

During the late 19th century, various proposals were made to significantly expand the President’s House or to build an entirely new house for the president, but these plans were never realized. In 1902,Our first president, George Washington, selected the site for the White House in 1791. The cornerstone was laid in 1792 and a competition design submitted by Irish-born architect James Hoban was chosen. After eight years of construction, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved into the unfinished house in 1800. During the War of 1812, the British set fire to the President’s House in 1814. James Hoban was appointed to rebuild the house, and President James Monroe moved into the building in 1817. During Monroe’s administration, the South Portico was constructed in 1824, and Andrew Jackson oversaw the addition of the North Portico in 1829. During the late 19th century, various proposals were made to significantly expand the President’s House or to build an entirely new house for the president, but these plans were never realized.

The White House In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt began a major renovation of the White House, including the relocation of the president’s offices from the Second Floor of the Residence to the newly constructed temporary Executive Office Building (now known as the West Wing). The Roosevelt renovation was planned and carried out by the famous New York architectural firm McKim, Mead and White. Roosevelt’s successor, President William Howard Taft, had the Oval Office constructed within an enlarged office wing. Less than fifty years after the Roosevelt renovation, the White House was showing signs of serious structural weakness. President Harry S. Truman began a renovation of the building in which everything but the outer walls were dismantled. The reconstruction was overseen by architect Lorenzo Winslow, and the Truman family moved back into the White House in 1952. Every president since John Adams has occupied the White House, and the history of this building extends far beyond the construction of its walls. From the Ground Floor Corridor rooms, transformed from their early use as service areas, to the State Floor rooms, where countless leaders and dignitaries have been entertained, the White House is both the home of the President of the United States his family and a museum of American history.

The White House is a place where history continues to unfold. White House Trivia There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators. At various times in history, the White House has been known as the "President's Palace," the "President's House," and the "Executive Mansion." President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901. Presidential Firsts while in office... President James Polk (1845-49) was the first President to have his photograph taken... President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) was not only the first President to ride in an automobile, but also the first President to travel outside the country when he visited Panama... President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45) was the first President to ride in an airplane. The White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d'oeuvres to more than 1,000.

The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface. Office of the Curator, The White House Follow Us: History of the President's House Site - Independence National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) History of the President's House Site The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation In this house, the nation's executive mansion, Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived and carried out the important affairs of state. During this time, the house itself served as a mirror of the young republic, reflecting both the lofty principles and painful contradictions of the new nation. Although the Office of the President was lauded as embodying the fundamental ideals invoked by the phrases "We the People" and "All men are created equal," the meaning behind those words did not apply to everyone in the new United States, or to the nine enslaved men and women held in bondage in this house. Over the past 240 years, the President's House Site has experienced a rich and complex history. During its first thirty or so years, the house was associated with a host of important events and people. However, this site's historical significance eventually faded in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The house was ultimately demolished and its vital story very nearly erased from public memory. Brief timeline of the President's House Site 1767–1772: Mary Lawrence Masters Residence In 1767, Mary Lawrence Masters initiates construction on the property that would come to be known as the President's House. In 1772, Mrs. Master's eldest daughter Polly marries Richard Penn, grandson of William Penn and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. The house is given to the young couple as a wedding present. 1772–1775: Richard and Polly Penn Residence The Penns live in the house for only about three years. In 1775, shortly before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Richard Penn is asked to present the First Continental Congress's grievances to King George III personally in the form of the "Olive Branch Petition." The Penns spend the duration of the war in England. 1777–1778: General Sir William Howe Headquarters In September 1777, British forces under General Sir William Howe occupy Philadelphia after the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown.

General Howe makes the Masters-Penn house his winter residence and headquarters while Washington and his troops retreat to Valley Forge. In June 1778, the British evacuate Philadelphia and consolidate their forces in New York. 1778–1779: Benedict Arnold Residence Colonial forces enter Philadelphia under the command of Major-General Benedict Arnold. Arnold promptly makes the Masters-Penn House his residence and headquarters. In March 1779, Arnold resigns his post and two months later, while still living in the house, he begins his treasonous correspondence with the British. 1779–1790: Robert Morris Residence In January 1780, the house is severely damaged by fire, and is subsequently purchased and rebuilt by Robert Morris, the famed "Financier of the Revolution." Morris rebuilds the house to its original plan, enlarges the property, and adds an icehouse and several back buildings. 1790–1800: Washington and Adams Executive Mansion In 1790, Robert Morris volunteers his house to serve as President Washington's residence while Philadelphia temporarily serves as the nation's capital.

Washington occupies the property from November 1790 to March 1797, during which time his household includes nine enslaved Africans brought up from Mount Vernon. He also makes several enlargements and modifications to the house and back buildings, including the addition of a slave quarters between the kitchen and stables. John Adams succeeds Washington as President and moves into the President's House in March 1797. Adams leaves Philadelphia in 1800 and moves into the newly completed White House in Washington D.C. on November 1. 1800–1832: Francis's Union Hotel After Adam's departure, the President's House is converted into the Francis's Union Hotel, and subsequently into a boardinghouse and a series of commercial storefronts. 1832–1935: Commercial Transformation In 1832, the building is demolished and rebuilt as a series of three narrow stores. Only the east and west walls of the original house are left standing, and are incorporated into the later commercial buildings.

1935–1951: Demolition In 1935, the later commercial properties are themselves demolished, although remnants of the original east and west walls of the President's House survive until the early 1950s. In 1951, the entire block is razed for the construction of Independence Mall, and the last surviving above ground components of the house are finally destroyed. In 1954, as part of the Mall plan, a public toilet is built within the footprint of the house—likely damaging any subsurface remnants of the foundations—and remains in place until 2003. Residence - White House Museum ( Detailed article ) The White House construction began in 1792. John Adams became the first president to take residence in the building on November 1, 1800. It was a grand mansion in the neo-classical federal style, with details that echo classical Greek Ionic architecture. James Hoban's original design was modeled after the Leinster House in Dublin, Ireland and did not include the north and south porticos.

Still, when it was complete, the President's house was the largest residence in the United States and would remain so until the 1860s. Jeffersonian Enhancements: 1801-1809 ( Detailed article ) The house that Thomas Jefferson entered in March of 1801 was still unfinished. Among his first acts was to have proper water closets (early toilets) built in the upper floor to replace the outdoor privy. He created a wilderness museum in the Entrance Hall, with mounted animals and Indian artifacts. He housed his private secretary in canvas-walled chambers in the south end of the unfinished East Room. He also had a revolving cabinet built in the Public Dining Room (today's Family Dining Room) similar to ones he had in Monticello. And he built pavilions on the east and west sides for servants and stables. Madison Reconstruction: 1814-1817 ( Detailed article ) In 1814, during the War of 1812, much of Washington, DC, was burned down by British troops and the White House was gutted, leaving only the exterior walls standing.

Despite architect Latrobe's suggestions for changes, President James Madison pledged to restore the White House just as it was. Original architect James Hoban returned to supervise the reconstruction, and few architectural changes were made when restoration was completed in 1817 under President James Monroe, who furnished the house in fashionable style. Floor plan of the White House before the 1902 remodeling (LOC top , bottom ) Architectural Improvements & War: 1825-1865 ( Detailed article ) The front and rear porticos were added to the White House 1825 and 1830, when Thomas Jefferson commissioned Benjamin Henry Latrobe to make architectural changes to the mansion (Latrobe had done proposals that included porticos as early as 1807). Additional changes followed in 1835, when running water and central heating were installed. Post-War Renovation 1866-1872 ( Detailed article ) President Johnson's daughter redecorated the house in bold geometric designs. And large glass conservatories were constructed on either side of the mansion, providing flowers and plants of all sorts, as well as a pleasant place to talk or read a book.

Victorian Ornamentation: 1873-1901 ( Detailed article ) US Grant converted the White House to a high Victorian style, although his choices were openly mocked by some. This was further enhanced by Louis Tiffany with Tiffany glass windows, gaslight fixtures, and other ornamentation in the 1890s. Electric lights replaced gaslights starting in 1891. The Expansion that Never Was: 1889-1901 ( Detailed article ) Mrs. Caroline Scott Harrison proposed a major expansion of the White House in 1889 which was revived in 1900 by Colonel Bingham. Wings of more or less the same size as the Residence mansion were proposed for the east and west sides, turned sideways to face the East and West Executive Drives, and a new conservatory was proposed to connect them on their south sides. Although the plans were rejected, the idea of building east and west wings was taken up by Theodore Roosevelt. TR Restoration: 1902-1904 ( Detailed article ) In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt embarked on an extensive remodeling of the Residence.

Plans had been in the works for years to build a new White House or expand the original. TR trod lightly, though, and merely removed the Victorian decor accumulated over the previous thirty years and returned the White House to its Federal-period roots with some Georgian elements. Building the first West Wing (and East Wing ) allowed him to move the presidential staff out of the family rooms on the second floor. Roof Expansions: 1917 and 1927 ( Detailed article ) The Wilsons renovated part of the attic in 1917 to include a painting room and guest rooms, but it was never adequate. Calvin Coolidge discovered how leaky the roof was during a rain storm and, in 1927, had the roof and attic replaced with a full third floor using steel girders. Although this provided better accommodations for servants and guests, the combination of the somewhat hasty TR restoration and new steel structure badly weakened the building over the next two decades.

Lorenzo Winslow's circa 1947 plan for changes to the White House, close to the actual implementation (Truman Library) ( Detailed article ) In 1948, President Harry S Truman added a much-discussed balcony to the South Portico at the second-floor level. Not long after the Truman Balcony was constructed, the main body building was found to be structurally unsound. The old interior was dismantled, leaving the house as a shell. It was then rebuilt using concrete and steel beams in place of its original wooden joists. Some modifications were made, including bathrooms for each bedroom and the repositioning of the grand staircase to open into the Entrance Hall , rather than the Cross Hall . Kennedy Renovation: 1961-1963 ( Detailed article ) The Kennedys embarked on a campaign to renovate the decor and furnishings of the White House, which had been somewhat neglected since the time of Hoover. Mrs. Kennedy created the White House Historical Association to help publicize the heritage of the president's house and got the White House declared a museum to help preserve it. Mrs.

Kennedy also converted the former Prince of Wales suite into a Private Dining Room and Family Kitchen for the first family. And she and the president had the Rose Garden redesigned to better accommodate press briefings. Cross-section of the Residence showing the floors (CREM) Ongoing Maintenance Since the early 60s, each presidential administration has seen the White House as a kind of living museum, making changes to the decor and maintaining the building's structure and exterior, but making very limited alterations to the architecture and layout. In the early 1990s, the White House exterior was extensively refurbished, with some 40 layers of paint removed and the sandstone exterior repaired and repainted. In 1993, the White House embarked on an extensive "greening" project [PDF] to reduce energy consumption. Aside from ordinary maintenance and renovations of the decor.... The Johnsons created the Children's Garden and redecorated the Solarium . Richard Nixon refreshed the state floor rooms and had the swimming pool converted to the Press Briefing Room and built a one-lane bowling alley in the basement. Gerald Ford installed an outdoor swimming pool . Ronald Reagan set up an exercise room in the small West Bedroom .

Hillary Clinton redecorated some of the family rooms, converted a third floor room into a sound-dampened music room for Bill, and converted another into an exercise room . Mrs. Clinton also created a small sculpture garden on the east side. George and Laura Bush redecorated the family rooms, expanded the Situation Room , and renovated the Family Theater and Press Briefing Room . Click a button below to see inside the White House Residence White House | presidential office and residence, Washington, District of Columbia, United States | Britannica.com presidential office and residence, Washington, District of Columbia, United States Written By: Alternative Titles: Executive Mansion, President’s Palace Related Topics Sarah Newcomb McClendon White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion (1810–1902), the official office and residence of the president of the United States at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. in Washington, D.C. The White House and its landscaped grounds occupy 18 acres (7.2 hectares). Since the administration of George Washington (1789–97), who occupied presidential residences in New York and Philadelphia , every American president has resided at the White House.

Originally called the “President’s Palace” on early maps, the building was officially named the Executive Mansion in 1810 in order to avoid connotations of royalty. Although the name “White House” was commonly used from about the same time (because the mansion’s white-gray sandstone contrasted strikingly with the red brick of nearby buildings), it did not become the official name of the building until 1902, when it was adopted by President Theodore Roosevelt (1901–09). The White House is the oldest federal building in the nation’s capital. North portico of the White House, Washington, D.C. © Getty Images The Diplomatic Reception Room in the White House, Washington, D.C. White House photo The building’s history begins in 1792, when a public competition was held to choose a design for a presidential residence in the new capital city of Washington. Thomas Jefferson , later the country’s third president (1801–09), using the pseudonymous initials “A.Z.,” was among those who submitted drawings, but Irish American architect James Hoban won the commission (and a $500 prize) with his plan for a Georgian mansion in the Palladian style.

The structure was to have three floors and more than 100 rooms and would be built in sandstone imported from quarries along Aquia Creek in Virginia. The cornerstone was laid on October 13, 1792. Labourers, including local slaves, were housed in temporary huts built on the north side of the premises . They were joined by skilled stonemasons from Edinburgh, Scotland , in 1793. Drawing of the elevation of the White House by James Hoban, 1792; in the Maryland Historical … Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore Similar Topics Empire State Building In 1800 the entire federal government was relocated from Philadelphia to Washington. John Adams , the country’s second president (1797–1801), moved into the still unfinished presidential mansion on November 1st and the next night wrote in a letter to his wife, Abigail Adams : I Pray Heaven Bestow the Best of Blessings on This House and All that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under this Roof.

At the insistence of President Franklin Roosevelt (1933–45), the quotation was inscribed on the fireplace of the State Dining Room immediately below the portrait of Abraham Lincoln , by George Healy . When Abigail Adams finally arrived in Washington several days later, she was disappointed with the inadequate state of the residence. The first lady wrote, There is not a single apartment finished. We have not the least fence, yard, or other convenience outside. I use the great unfinished audience room [East Room] as a drying room for hanging up the clothes. The White House in the 19th century The mansion quickly became a focal point of the new federal city and was symbolically linked to the United States Capitol by way of Pennsylvania Avenue. Following his inauguration in March 1801 Jefferson became the second president to reside in the executive mansion. In keeping with his ardent republicanism, he opened the house to public visitation each morning, a tradition that was continued (during peacetime) by all his successors. He personally drew up landscaping plans and had two earthen mounds installed on the south lawn to remind him of his beloved Virginia piedmont.

Meanwhile, construction continued on the building’s interior, which still lacked ample staircases and suffered from a persistently leaky roof. During Jefferson’s tenure , the White House was elegantly furnished in Louis XVI style (known in America as Federal style ). Plan of the principal story of the White House in 1803, original drawing by Benjamin Latrobe, 1807. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Britannica Stories Cheetahs Face Extinction Risk During the War of 1812 the building was burned by the British, and President James Madison (1809–17) and his family were forced to flee the city. The Madisons eventually moved into the nearby Octagon House, the Washington mansion of John Tayloe, a Virginia plantation owner. Reconstruction and expansion began under Hoban’s direction, but the building was not ready for occupancy until 1817, during the administration of President James Monroe (1817–25). Hoban’s reconstruction included the addition of east and west terraces on the main building’s flanks; a semicircular south portico and a colonnaded north portico were added in the 1820s.

The Taking of the City of Washington in America, wood engraving by G. … Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-1939) USA Facts During the 19th century the White House became a symbol of American democracy . In the minds of most Americans, the building was not a “palace” from which the president ruled but merely a temporary office and residence from which he served the people he governed. The White House belonged to the people, not the president, and the president occupied it only for as long as the people allowed him to stay. The idea of a president refusing to leave the White House after losing an election or an impeachment trial was unthinkable. The inauguration of Andrew Jackson (1829–37), the “people’s president,” attracted thousands of well-wishers to the nation’s capital. As Jackson rode on horseback down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, he was surrounded by a frenetic throng of 20,000 people, many of whom attempted to follow him into the mansion to get a better look at their hero.

A contemporary, Margaret Bayer Smith, recounts what happened next: “The halls were filled with a disorderly rabble…scrambling for the refreshments designed for the drawing room.” While friends of the new president joined arms to protect him from the mob, “china and glass to the amount of several thousand dollars were broken in the struggle to get at the ices and cakes, though punch and other drinkables had been carried out in tubs and buckets to the people.” Said Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story , “I was glad to escape from the scene as soon as possible.” During his administration Jackson spent more than $50,000 refurbishing the residence, including $10,000 on decorations for the East Room and more than $4,000 on a sterling silver dinner and dessert set decorated with an American eagle. “Presidents Levee or All Creation Going to the White House”; aquatint by Robert … Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-USZ62-1805) Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest In 1842 the visit to the United States of the English novelist Charles Dickens brought an official invitation to the White House.

After his calls at the White House door went unanswered, Dickens let himself in and walked through the mansion from room to room on the lower and upper floors. Finally coming upon a room filled with nearly two dozen people, he was shocked and appalled to see many of them spitting on the carpet. Dickens later wrote, “I take it for granted the Presidential housemaids have high wages.” Until the Civil War, however, most White House servants were slaves. Moreover, the wages of all White House employees—as well as the expenses for running the White House, including staging official functions—were paid for by the president. Not until 1909 did Congress provide appropriations to pay White House servants. Dickens was not the only foreign visitor to be disappointed with the White House. On a trip to Washington just before the Civil War, Aleksandr Borisovich Lakier, a Russian nobleman, wrote that “the home of the president…is barely visible behind the trees.” The White House, he said, was “sufficient for a private family and not at all conforming to the expectations of a European.” Subsequent changes to the building in the 19th century were relatively minor.

The interior was redecorated during various presidential administrations and modern conveniences were regularly added, including a refrigerator in 1845, gas lighting in 1849, and electric lighting in 1891. Britannica Lists & Quizzes Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies The White House was the scene of mourning after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln (1861–65). While Mary Todd Lincoln lay in her room for five weeks grieving for her husband, many White House holdings were looted. Responding to charges that she had stolen government property when she left the White House, she angrily inventoried all the items she had taken with her, including gifts of quilts and waxworks from well-wishers. The White House since 1900 During the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, the mansion’s second-floor rooms were converted from presidential offices to family living quarters, not least because of the president’s six children.

For them, one observer said, “nothing [in the White House] was too sacred for amusement and no place too good for a playroom.” Additional space was needed for the children’s exotic pets, which included raccoons, snakes, a badger, and a bear. To accommodate a growing presidential staff and to provide more office space for the president, the West Wing was constructed in 1902. More office space was made available with the building of the East Wing in 1942. (The East and West wings are connected to the main building by the east and west terraces.) In 1948, during the presidency of Harry Truman (1945–53), the main building was discovered to be structurally unsound; during the next four years the entire interior was carefully rebuilt, though the original exterior walls were left standing. A second-floor balcony was likewise added on the south portico. The last major alterations to the White House were made in the 1960s by Jacqueline Kennedy , wife of President John F. Kennedy (1961–63). Renowned for her beauty and refined taste, she collected and displayed items of historic and artistic value throughout its rooms.

She made the White House a centre of national culture and awakened public interest in its beauties by conducting a televised tour of the mansion in 1962. The Green Room on the first floor of the White House, Washington, D.C. Ping Amranand/SuperStock The White House building complex has a total of more than 130 rooms. The main building still contains the presidential family’s living quarters and various reception rooms, all decorated in styles of the 18th and 19th centuries. Parts of the main building are open to the public. The west terrace contains the press briefing room, and the east terrace houses a movie theatre. The presidential office, known as the Oval Office, is located in the West Wing, as are the cabinet and press rooms; the East Wing contains other offices. The Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House, Washington, D.C., 2005. Brooks Kraft/Corbis Opium Wars Over the years the White House has become a major American historic site, attracting more than 1.5 million visitors annually.

In 1995 the section of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was closed to automobile traffic because of concerns about terrorism, and the area has since became popular with pedestrians and skaters. The allure of the building has never waned, and few who enter its environs—visitors and occupants alike—leave unaffected by its ambience and rich history. Jefferson thought that the White House was too large, “big enough for two emperors, one Pope, and the grand lama,” and Caroline Harrison , wife of President Benjamin Harrison (1889–93), complained that there was “no feeling of privacy” on the property. But Franklin Roosevelt found it warm and comfortable. “My husband liked to be in the White House on New Year’s Eve,” remembered Eleanor Roosevelt : We always gathered a few friends, and at midnight in the oval study the radio was turned on and we waited with the traditional eggnog in hand for midnight to be announced. Franklin always sat in his chair and, as the President, would raise his glass and say: “To the United States of America.” All of us stood and repeated the toast after him. Somehow, the words were especially meaningful and impressive in that house.

The White House at night, Washington, D.C. Hisham F. Ibrahim/Getty Images The Blue Room in the White House, Washington, D.C. White House photo The White House is a unit of the National Capital Parks system and was accredited as a museum in 1988. Pictorial history of life and work in the White House The table includes photographs from the White House. Life and work in the White House White House with the Washington Monument in the background. Proposed plans for extensions to the White House during Benjamin Harrison’s presidency, c. 1892. North portico, 1901. Construction - White House Museum Building the President's Residence The building of an executive mansion to house the president's family and staff was approved when Congress established the District of Columbia as the permanent capital of the United States on 1790 July 16. President George Washington helped select the site, along with city planner Pierre L'Enfant, whose plan for a house for the president was enormous: four times larger than the house as it was built in 1800. Leinster House in Dublin ( Wikipedia ) Planning The architect was chosen in a competition, which received several proposals.

When the first entries did not fit Washington's vision, he was introduced to James Hoban, an Irish architect, and the two got along immediately. Hoban was persuaded to submit a design, and Washington—who was the judge—selected it. The building Hoban designed was modeled on the first and second floors of Leinster House, a ducal palace in Dublin, Ireland, which is now the seat of the Irish Parliament. The capital was placed on land ceded by two states—Virginia and Maryland—which both ceded the land to the federal government in response to a compromise with President Washington. The DC commissioners were charged by Congress with building the new city under the direction of the President. Construction On October 13, 1792, George Washington laid the first cornerstone of the building in a freemason ceremony. It is a grand mansion in the neo-classical Federal style, with details that echo classical Greek Ionic architecture. James Hoban's original design was modeled after the Leinster House in Dublin, Ireland and did not include the north and south porticos. Scottish masons were brought to Washington to do the stone work.

Since the mansion would be covered with sandstone instead of the more usual red brick, they encountered a problem they knew how to solve. Their technique for sealing the porous sandstone was a thick whitewash that covered like paint but sealed like glue. So, from its earliest days, the president's house was white, and it quickly got the nickname "White House." Over an extremely slow 8 years of construction, $232,372 was spent. This would be approximately equivalent to $63 million in 2007 dollars (calculated for the inflation of labor; or $4 million calculated for the inflation of consumer goods). The house was considerably smaller than the grand palace L'Enfant had envisioned. Still, when it was complete, the president's house was the largest residence in the United States and would remain so until the 1860s. Moving In When John Adams moved into the President's House on November 1, 1800, it was far from complete. He immediately set up housekeeping in the second floor, with the basement—today's ground floor—used by servants as kitchens, laundry, and housekeeping rooms.

Today's Diplomatic Reception Room was originally the housekeeper's room, with built-in cabinets. The Public Audience Chamber (East Room) was not complete, and wouldn't be complete for years. The grand staircase (in today's north end of the State Dining Room) was unfinished. And some of the rooms on the second floor and ground floor were used only for storage. The Adamses began furnishing the house in a fairly grand style, although Abigail Adams used the great Public Audience Chamber for hanging laundry. Today's Red Room was used, as Hoban intended it, as a breakfast room or private dining room. Thomas Jefferson won the election of 1800, and Adams reluctantly left the house. Return to the Residence Overview "Why Is The President's House Called The 'White House'?" | Vision Productions | Jerry Stewart "Why Is The President's House Called The 'White House'?" Interesting Facts By Jerry Stewart - Vision Productions We all know the Washington, DC is the home of all of our most important federal buildings, some of our most famous national monuments, and, of course, the White House where our president lives. But have you ever wonder why it's called the “White House”?

Interestingly enough the White House was designed by James Hoban, an Irish architect, after he won the contest for best design. They began building the White House in 1792 and the first president to live in it was President John Adams and his wife. At that time it was called the “President's House”. So where did the name “White House” come from? Well, when the War of 1812 started, the British army was still sore from the licking they took in the American Revolution, so they were determined to get even. And one great way was to burn down our capitol city and everything in it. So the British troops stormed our capitol city and took it over, and immediately made plans to burn it down. And one of the buildings they set on fire was the President's home. Fortunately, the house did not burn completely down, but the outside was turned black from the smoke and fire damage. So, after the war the president's house was painted, you guessed it, it was painted white, and people started calling it the “White House”. And in 1901, President Teddy Roosevelt officially named it the “White House”. Very interesting.

But here's one other amazing, miraculous part of that story. When the British took over Washington, DC they were almost unopposed, so the British troops were feeling pretty good about their easy victory - and they were determined to level that city by fire! But here's where the story gets very mysterious. As they began setting fires all across the city, a terrible storm struck the area with wind and rains so violent that historians tell us it may have been the single most violent storm in the history of that city. Well, when that violent wind began to rage, and the rain beat down on the soldiers, it was reported that they became afraid, very afraid. And they abandoned their efforts to burn down the city. In fact, they just left. Now, some would call it a mysterious coincidence. But not me, and not the people then. They believed with all their hearts that Almighty God Himself had sent that violent storm to save America, to help our nation when we could not ourselves - and they thanked Him. What a powerful story, and what a message for us today as we need God in America now more than ever.

White House : snopes.com - - Claim: The White House obtained its name because it was repainted white after the British burned it in 1814. FALSE Examples: [Collected via e-mail, 2006] 1814 was also the year the British burned Washington, DC. and the President's home had to be repainted white — hence the White House of today! Burned by the British in 1814, the President's House was reconstructed and the charred sandstone walls repainted the white for which it is named by 1817, when James Monroe moved in with his family. Origins: After the loose confederation of thirteen former British colonies known as the "United States of America" drew up a constitution which created a federal government and bound them together as one nation in 1788, one of the first orders of business was to choose a location for the new nation's capital.

As the result of a series of compromises, New York City was designated as the temporary capital of the USA for sixteen months beginning in 1789 (in time for the inauguration of the first president, George Washington); the American seat of government was then moved to Philadelphia until 1800, when it was finally relocated to its permanent home in the newly-created District of Columbia. The new capital needed to include a residence for the chief executive, of course, and so the cornerstone for the "President's House," designed by Irish-born architect James Hoban, was laid in October of 1792. Although George Washington oversaw the building's construction, he retired before its completion, and so second president John Adams and his wife Abigail became the first occupants of the residence in 1800 (even though work on the edifice was far from finished). The Adamses had only a year to enjoy their new home before giving way to Thomas Jefferson, who was sworn in as the third U.S. president in 1801. The residence of the President of the United States of America had no official designation back in the early 19th century, and it was generally referred to simply as the President's House.

(The term Executive Mansion supplanted that nomenclature around 1850, and the building was not officially designated as the White House until the issuance of an executive order by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1901.) In 1812, war broke out between the United States and Great Britain, and in August 1814 President James Madison and his wife Dolly were forced to flee their residence when a British expedition to Chesapeake Bay won an easy victory at Bladensburg (Maryland) and took the city of Washington, setting fire to several public buildings including the Capitol and the President's House. This historical event has since been embodied in a legend which proclaims that the White House only obtained that name after its torching by the British, when portions of the residence were rebuilt and the exterior was painted white (over the original gray) to cover the obvious burn marks. The legend does not correspond to historical fact, however. The President's House had been given a coat of whitewash as early as 1798 in order to protect its locally-quarried sandstone against the deterioriation caused by winter freezes, and from then on white paint was used for the exterior.

Moreover, references to the building as the "White House" antedate the War of 1812. As early as the spring of 1811, Francis James Jackson, the former British minister to the United States, wrote that his successor would "act as a sort of political conductor to attract the lightning that may issue from the clouds round the Capitol and the White House at Washington." White House curators cite similar contemporary evidence: There is a Washington myth that people didn't start calling the house the White House until it was painted white to conceal the scorch marks left when the British burned it to its walls in 1814. Not so, says the office of White House curator Betty Monkman. She and her staff have uncovered many references to "the White House" well before the British marched in.

On March 18, 1812, for example, a Massachusetts congressman wrote his wife: "There is much trouble at the White House, as we call it, I mean the President's." It is true that the term "White House" came into more general use after 1817, when new construction on the residence was completed (nearly all of the interior had been destroyed by the 1814 fire) and the structure was given a coat of oil-based white paint, but that phenomenon was merely an extension of a practice that had started well before 1814. Last updated: 4 July 2014 Sources:

Question: Who was the first U.S. President to take residence in the White House, then known as the Executive Mansion?
Answer: John Adams