The official residence of the President of the United States is known as the White House.
Where is the White House?
What is the home like?
The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington DC.
It was designed by James Hoban, and it was constructed over the course of eight years
from 1792 to 1800.
Its initial cost was just over $232,300 (this would be more than $3,000,000 today!).
When construction was complete, the outside of the building was whitewashed with a mixture
that included lime, rice glue, casein, and lead.
This gave the home its distinctive color, which it is so well
known for today.
The first president who lived in the house was John Adams, and he took residency in November
of 1800, before the structure was even complete.
Adams only lived there for a short time though, since he lost his bid for re-election that
same year.
Every president since Adams has lived in the home.
During the War of 1812, the house was nearly destroyed in a fire.
The British invaded Washington DC and burned much of the nation’s capital, including
the White House.
After the fire, the only part of the building that remained intact was the exterior walls.
However, even the outside walls had to be torn down and rebuilt because of the damage
the structure had sustained.
The home has not always been known as the White House.
It was originally known by the titles the Presidential Palace, or the Executive Mansion.
The earliest reference to the term “White House” comes from 1811, but it was not officially
known by that name until 1901 when Theodore Roosevelt had it placed on the official Executive
Mansion stationery.
Throughout the 1900s, the White House became synonymous with the President of the United
States.
There have been many expansions and improvements to the White House over the years.
The first renovations came during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.
Improvements also took place during the Taft and Hoover administrations.
Probably the most significant reconstruction took place during Harry Truman’s presidency,
when an internal steel frame was added.
At that time, the floor plan was also altered to its modern configuration.
First Lady Jaqueline Kennedy also oversaw a dramatic redecoration of the White House
interior during the early 1960s.
There are three main areas to the White House, the executive residence, the West Wing, and
the East Wing.
The executive residence is where the president and his or her family actually live.
The West Wing includes the president’s office, staff offices, the Cabinet Room (where the
cabinet holds its official meetings), and the press briefing room.
The West Wing also includes the White House Situation Room.
This is a conference room, in the basement of the West Wing, from which the president
monitors and manages crisis situations.
The East Wing has housed many things over the years, including the offices of the First
Lady.
The White House has six stories with more than 55,000 square feet of floor space.
There are eight staircases, three elevators, and 147 windows.
The home includes 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, and 412 doors.
There is a swimming pool, tennis court, jogging track, putting green, movie theater, and a
single-lane bowling alley.
The White House also employs five full-time chefs to serve the president and other important
White House guests.
There are several famous rooms within the White House.
The Oval Office is the official office of the President, known by this name because
of its oval shape.
Other rooms are known by the color of the walls and furniture in those rooms.
For example, the White House includes the Red Room, the Green Room, the Yellow Oval
Room, and the Blue Room, all of which are used for various dinner parties and receptions.
There are also several famous bedrooms in the White House.
The most notable of all of these is the Lincoln Bedroom.
It is known by this name because the central feature of the room is a large, ornate bed
which was purchased by Mary Todd Lincoln during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency.
Also, Lincoln’s office used to occupy this same area in the White House.
The Queen’s Bedroom is another well-known White House bedroom.
It was given this name in honor of the number of royal guests who have stayed in the room.
The Queen of the United Kingdom has stayed there, as well as the queens of Norway, the
Netherlands, Greece, and Nepal.
The White House Rose Garden is another prominent feature.
The Rose Garden was created in 1913 at the request of Ellen Wilson, wife of Woodrow Wilson.
The garden is 125 feet long and 60 feet wide.
It is frequently used to greet important guests or hold special ceremonies at the White House.
The White House is sometimes referred to as “the people’s house”.
In its earliest days, visitors were allowed to casually stroll the White House grounds
and even enter the home.
Thomas Jefferson would come out and personally greet those who were touring the house at
lunchtime.
As time has progressed, it has become increasingly difficult to enter the White House.
However, it is still toured by thousands of people each day.
In fact, more than 100,000 people a month visit the White House.
This means that more than one million people tour the White House every single year!