White House Architecture, History, Presidents

Table Of Content

• Early history
• Statement from President Joe Biden on 25 Years Since the Columbine High School Shooting
• Who was the first president to live in the White House?
• When Was the White House Built?
• Remarks by President Biden on the Passage of H.R. 815, the National Security Supplemental
• Map of the White House and the Ellipse in Washington, DC

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.

Early history

Since then, nearly every president has made some change in the White House. The first water pipes were installed in 1833, gas lighting in 1848, an elevator in 1881, and electricity in 1891. Washington, D.C., was named the new capital of the United States in 1790. The history of the White House begins two years later, when a contest was held to choose a design for a presidential residence in the city. President George Washington called for the residence to have “the sumptuousness of a palace, the convenience of a house, and the agreeableness of a county seat.” The contest was won by James Hoban, an Irish American architect.

Statement from President Joe Biden on 25 Years Since the Columbine High School Shooting

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Posted: Tue, 23 Apr 2024 20:53:20 GMT [source]

According to the White House Historical Association, the "White House" moniker began to appear in newspapers before the War of 1812. The White House kitchen has the capacity to prepare dinner for 140 guests and hors d’oeuvres for over 1,000. The White House’s attic was converted into a third floor during the Coolidge administration, and over the years, it has hosted a music room for President Clinton and a bedroom suite for Melania Trump. There is also a solarium, added by Grace Coolidge, with panoramic views of the Mall.

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A History of the White House: The US President's Home.

Posted: Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Who was the first president to live in the White House?

During the Kennedy administration, Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon redesigned the White House gardens, including the famed Rose Garden outside the West Wing. The East Garden, also redesigned by Mellon, was later named in honor of Jacqueline Kennedy. First lady Michelle Obama added a 1,100-square-foot vegetable garden on the south grounds in 2009.

When Was the White House Built?

The White House was the scene of mourning after the assassination of Pres. 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. After September 11, 2001, this change was made permanent, in addition to closing E Street between the South Portico of the White House and the Ellipse.[109] In response to the Boston Marathon bombing, the road was closed to the public in its entirety for a period of two days. In June 2023, fighter jets moved to intercept a light aircraft that violated Washington DC airspace near the White House, before it crashed in Virginia.[108] All occupants in the intrusion aircraft were killed.

Remarks by President Biden on the Passage of H.R. 815, the National Security Supplemental

Also two stories, the East Wing, meanwhile, contains office space for the first lady and her staff and features a covered entrance for guests during large events. James Hoban, an Irish immigrant and architect hand-picked by President George Washington, designed the original building. After the British set fire to it in 1814, during the War of 1812, Hoban led the effort to rebuild the structure. Early maps referred to the White House as the “President’s Palace,” but in 1810, the building was officially named “Executive Mansion” in order to avoid any connection to royalty.

Map of the White House and the Ellipse in Washington, DC

Upon reassuming residency in 1817, James Madison and his wife Dolley gave the home a more regal touch by decorating with extravagant French furniture. But the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit found that the claims had “federal ingredients” that entitled the defendants to move the case to federal court. Proceeds raised at the dinner, which is a celebration of the First Amendment, go towards the WHCA and the journalists who work to cover the president. My predecessor promised infrastructure week every week for four years, but never built a damn thing. My bipartisan infrastructure law has now launched over 51,000 projects across every state and territory in America.

In 1814, during the War of 1812, much of Washington was burned by British troops in retaliation for burning Upper Canada's Parliament Buildings in the Battle of York (present day Toronto), leaving the White House gutted. A legend merged that during the rebuilding of the structure white paint was applied to mask the burn damage it had suffered, giving the building its namesake hue. This is unfounded as the building had been painted white since its construction in 1798. Both transferred ownership of the land to the federal government in response to a compromise with President Washington. The District of Columbia commissioners were charged by Congress with building the new city under the direction of the president. The architect was chosen in a competition, which received nine proposals.

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While George Washington chose the site and design of the White House, he did not ever live in the residence. John Adams was the first president to live in the White House, moving in on November 1st, 1800. The executive mansion has been the official residence of every subsequent president.

Previous presidents lived in mansions around New York and Philadelphia. The design borrows heavily from Leinster Building in Dublin Ireland where the lead architect, James Hoban. The design of the White House did not leave out future expansion since it was situated on spacious land. The official home for the U.S. president was designed by Irish-born architect James Hoban in the 1790s. Rebuilt after a British attack in 1814, the “President’s House” evolved with the personal touches of its residents, and accommodated such technological changes as the installation of electricity. The building underwent major structural changes in the early 1900s under Teddy Roosevelt, who also officially established the “White House” moniker, and again under Harry Truman after WWII.

The closest Metrorail stations to the White House are Federal Triangle (blue and orange lines), Metro Center (blue, orange, silver, and red lines), and McPherson Square (blue, orange, and silver lines). All U.S. citizens ages 18 and older, and foreign nationals of all ages (including children), must present a valid, government-issued photo ID upon arrival for their tour. The White House is one of the few prominent buildings in Washington, D.C. One of the reasons why it is recognized is the fact that it is the home of the sitting US President and his family.

Visitors who wish to use a White House wheelchair should notify a U.S. A U.S. driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification for foreign nationals. No foreign-issued state IDs, foreign-issued driver’s licenses, expired passports, photocopies, other transmissions of these documents, or other forms of identification will be accepted. Individuals without acceptable identification, or whose identification does not exactly match the information previously registered, may be denied entry. We'll be in touch with the latest information on how President Biden and his administration are working for the American people, as well as ways you can get involved and help our country build back better. Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

The Washington Monument, the Capitol Building, the Jefferson Memorial, the Pentagon, and the Lincoln Memorial are also in the Washington, D.C. The area around the White House is blocked off from traffic for security reasons. There are limited places to park and public transportation is highly recommended. The closest Metro stations are Metro Center, Federal Triangle, Farragut West and McPherson Square. There is also a Metrobus stop located on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street. The largest room in the White House is the East Room, which measures about 80 feet by 37 feet (24 meters by 11 meters).

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.

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 1901, when it was adopted by Pres. The White House is the oldest federal building in the nation’s capital. 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.

Labourers, including local enslaved people, were housed in temporary huts built on the north side of the premises. They were joined by skilled stonemasons from Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1793. Additions have been made to the White House and its grounds to accommodate the sports and recreational pursuits of presidents and their families, staff, and guests. Theodore Roosevelt’s tenure in office, then moved to the west side of the south lawn in 1909, and relocated farther south still later. Barack Obama had removable baskets and basketball court lines added to the court so that both tennis and full-court basketball games could be played on it. Franklin D. Roosevelt had a heated indoor swimming pool built in the West Wing (in a space later converted into the pressroom), and Pres.