White House History, Location, & Facts

Table Of Content

• The White House since the Kennedy restoration
• Crossroads of History: Ancient Jordan with Dan Snow
• Statement from President Joe Biden on 25 Years Since the Columbine High School Shooting
• Lincoln was killed before their eyes. Then their own horror began.
• Colin Jost digs into Trump and Biden, mentions his late firefighter grandfather at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

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. Washington, D.C., was named the new capital of the United States in 1790.

The White House since the Kennedy restoration

It is situated at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. James Hoban, an Irish-born architect, designated the White House in the neoclassical style. Between 1792 and 1800, construction did take place utilizing white-painted Aquia Creek sandstone. The White House is the official residence and executive office of the President of the United States. The last major alterations to the White House were made in the early 1960s by Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of President John F. Kennedy. As first lady, Kennedy made the White House a center of national culture and awakened public interest in its beauties by conducting a televised tour of the mansion in 1962. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he added low colonnades on each wing that concealed stables and storage.

Crossroads of History: Ancient Jordan with Dan Snow

Ever since Theodore Roosevelt moved his workspace from the residence to the newly built West Wing in 1902, the two-story West Wing has been home to the U.S. presidential offices. In addition to the Oval Office, the West Wing complex includes the Situation Room, Cabinet Room, Roosevelt Room and press briefing room, among others. The West Wing also houses the Situation Room, the Cabinet Room, the Press Room, and offices for advisors and the chief of staff. Additional offices for the president’s staff are located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Cocaine at White House Sparks Confusion Over Who Had Access to Location - Newsweek

Cocaine at White House Sparks Confusion Over Who Had Access to Location.

Posted: Wed, 05 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

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

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. Located at the country’s most well-known address, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, DC, the White House is America’s most iconic home. The official residence and office of the president of the United States, the White House has been the home of every president since John Adams and the site of some of the most important events in American history.

The White House Building

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 general layout of the White House grounds today is based on the 1935 design by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. of the Olmsted Brothers firm, commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During the Kennedy administration, the White House Rose Garden was redesigned by Rachel Lambert Mellon.

Construction took place between 1792 and 1800, with an exterior of Aquia Creek sandstone painted white. Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed Executive Residence in October 1817. Exterior construction continued with the addition of the semicircular South Portico in 1824 and the North Portico in 1829. 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.

Eight years later, in 1909, President William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and created the first Oval Office, which was eventually moved and expanded. In the Executive Residence, the third floor attic was converted to living quarters in 1927 by augmenting the existing hip roof with long shed dormers. A newly constructed East Wing was used as a reception area for social events; Jefferson's colonnades connected the new wings.

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. Contrary to a popular myth that the building was painted white to hide scorch marks after the fire in 1814, the residence was first painted white in 1798 to protect the exterior from weather damage. 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. The residence has also been called “President’s House,” or “President’s Mansion.” In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt changed the official name to “White House,” a moniker that had been used throughout the 19th century.

What is the architectural style of the White House?

The following year, the cornerstone was laid and a 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 still-unfinished residence. During the War of 1812, the British set fire to the President’s House, and James Hoban was appointed to rebuild it. James Monroe moved into the building in 1817, and during his administration, the South Portico was constructed. Various proposals were put forward during the late 19th century to significantly expand the President’s House or to build an entirely new residence, but these plans were never realized. As the official workplace and executive residence of the president of the United States, the White House stands as one of the most famous, and recognizable, buildings in the world.

Since the renovation after the War of 1812, further renovations have been done like the restoration works done during the Kennedy years. Unlike in the previous century where it was easy to access the White House, today one has to be invited by the President and then go through screening by the Secret Service. Beautiful landscaping has graced the White House grounds since the administration of Thomas Jefferson. The South Lawn features over three dozen commemorative trees that date back to the 1870s. During the Kennedy administration, Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon redesigned the White House gardens, including the famed Rose Garden outside the West Wing.

Roosevelt’s successor, President William Howard Taft, had the Oval Office constructed within an enlarged office wing. The White House today holds 132 rooms on six floors, the floor space totaling approximately 55,000 square feet. It has hosted longstanding traditions such as the annual Easter Egg Roll, as well as historic events like the 1987 nuclear arms treaty with Russia. The only private residence of a head of state open free of charge to the public, the White House reflects a nation’s history through the accumulated collections of its residing presidents, and serves as a worldwide symbol of the American republic. William Taft hired architect Nathan Wyeth to expand the executive wing in 1909, resulting in the formation of the Oval Office as the president’s work space. In 1913, the White House added another enduring feature with Ellen Wilson’s Rose Garden.

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. During the War of 1812 the building was burned by the British, and Pres. 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 Pres. 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.

As a result, the White House still frequently hosts members of the public for tours free of charge, except during times of war. Since Grover Cleveland’s presidency, inaugural crowds have no longer been able to freely enter the house. After his inauguration, he held a presidential review of the troops from a grandstand constructed in front of the building. This procession then evolved into the official inaugural parade we recognise today.

During Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency at the beginning of the 20th century, the White House was remodeled to create more living space for his large family. The mansion’s second-floor rooms were converted from presidential offices to family living quarters. Our first president, George Washington, selected the site for the White House in 1791.