About the White House
Built in the years between 1792 and 1800, the White House is the official residence of the United States President. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. The building is is made of Aquia Sandstone, and is a Georgian Style building. Every U.S. President since John Adams has lived in the White House, many adding their own personal touches and modifications, such as Thomas Jefferson expanding the building to create two colonnades to hide stables and storage; Theodore Roosevelt moving nearly all work offices to the new West Wing; William Howard Taft expanding the West Wing and constructing the first Oval Office; and Harry S. Truman having the interior completely dismantled and constructing a new load-bearing steel frame in the walls. The initial plans of the White House were created by James Hoban, the winner of a design competition. Though changes have been made through the years, the initial design of James Hoban is still visible.
In 1814, British troops set the White House on fire, as part of the Burning of Washington. The interior was destroyed, leaving only the exterior walls standing. During the reconstruction, President James Madison lived in the Octagon House. In 1948, the White House was said to be in imminent danger of collapse, forcing President Harry Truman to live in the Blair House for rennovations. During that time, the interior was completely dismantled, a stronger internal steel frame was built, and the interior was reconstructed around this frame.
The White House is a six story building with 55,000 square feet. In that 55,000 square feet are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, five full-time chefs, a tennis court, a bowling alley, a movie theater, a jogging track, a swimming pool, and a putting green.
Visiting the White House
Tours of the White House are available only through requests to your Member of congress, up to six months in advance, but no less than 30 days in advance. Tours run from 7:30 am to 11:00 am Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30 am to 12:00 pm Friday, and 7:30 am to 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Tours are free of charge, as is a visit to the White House Visitor Center, open daily from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Pictures of the White House
