White House Beginnings
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In 1791, working with George Washington, artist and engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant
prepared a city plan for Washington, D.C., reserving eighty-two acres for a "President's Park."
L'Enfant's original design for a "President's Palace" was approximately four times the size of the
present White House. James Hoban substantially reduced the house's scale in the final approved
design. The White House was the largest house in the United States until after the Civil War.
The construction of the White House started in 1792 and was first occupied by President
John Adams in 1800. The total cost was $232,372.
Construction began when the first cornerstone was laid in October of 1792. Although President Washington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived in it. It was not until 1800, when the White House was nearly completed, that its first residents, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in. Since that time, each President has made his own changes and additions. The White House is, after all, the President's private home. It is also the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public, free of charge. The White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, was originally constructed 1792-1800, the work of James Hoban. It was reconstructed in 1815 after being burned by British soldiers during the War of 1812. It has been the home of every president of the United States since John Adams. The exterior of the main structure, despite some additions and minor changes, remains much as it was in 1800. The interior has been completely renovated using the historic floor plan. It is significant for its Federal architecture, as a symbol of the presidency, and for the important decisions made within its walls over the years. It survived a fire at the hands of the British in 1814 (during the war of 1812) and another fire in the West Wing in 1929, while Herbert Hoover was President. Throughout much of Harry S. Truman's presidency, the interior of the house, with the exception of the third floor, was completely gutted and renovated while the Trumans lived at Blair House, right across Pennsylvania Avenue. Nonetheless, the exterior stone walls are those first put in place when the White House was constructed two centuries ago. The White House is built of sandstone that was painted white; the paint was used in part to improve the durability of the stone. In 1902, the Mansion was officially proclaimed by Congress to be the "White House". The stone for the foundations and for the facings on the exterior walls came from the Aquia Creek quarry in Stafford County, Virginia. Lime for the mortar was procured from the region around Frederick, Maryland. Rain, snow and ice can leak into the stone and make it leak. The walls were painted with whitewash. Whitewash is like a thin white paint. When they were covered with the whitewash it sealed the sandstone. The President's House began to be popularly called the White House soon after 1798 when its tan sandstone walls were whitewashed to protect the stone. The White House is 168 feet (51.2 meters) long. The White House is 85 feet 6 inches (26.1 meters) wide without porticoes. The White House is 152 feet wide with porticoes. The overall height of the White House (to the top of the roof) is 70 feet on the south and 60 feet 4 inches on the north; the façade (grade of lawn to parapet) is 60 feet on the south (lawn at 54 feet above sea level) and 50 feet 4 inches on the north. 
It takes 300 gallons of white paint to cover the exterior of just the residence portion of the White House (center), excluding the West and East Wings. The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface. The White House fence encloses 18 acres of land. The White House has 132 rooms, including 16 family-guest rooms, 1 main kitchen, 1 diet kitchen, 1 family kitchen, and 31 bathrooms. The White House has (excluding storage rooms): 10 rooms on the Ground Floor, 1 main corridor, 6 restrooms; 8 rooms on the State Floor, 1 main corridor, 1 entrance hall; 16 rooms, 1 main corridor, 6 bathrooms, and 1 restroom on the 2nd floor; and 20 rooms, 1 main corridor, 9 bathrooms on the 3rd floor. It has a floor area (total of 6 floors) of approximately 55,000 square feet. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators. With five full-time chefs, the White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors 'oeuvres to more than 1,000. For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane. 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. It is dominated by huge chandeliers, a mahogany piano supported by gilt eagles, and a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George WASHINGTON. The bodies of eight presidents have lain in state in the East Room, and during the Civil War, Union troops were quartered there. The adjacent Green Room, used by Thomas JEFFERSON as a dining room, is furnished as a parlor in early-19th-century style. The elegant, oval Blue Room, overlooking the south grounds, contains the exquisite French Empire furniture installed by the James MONROE in 1817. The Red Room, used as a parlor or sitting room, is decorated in the American Empire style. In the large white and gold State Dining Room at the west end of the house is a multisectioned bronze-doré (gilt-bronze) centerpiece purchased by Monroe. For over two hundred years, the White House has stood as a symbol of the Presidency, the United States government, and the American people. Its history, and the history of the nation's capital, began when President George Washington signed an Act of Congress in December of 1790 declaring that the federal government would reside in a district "not exceeding ten miles square "on the river Potomac." President Washington, together with city planner Pierre L'Enfant, chose the site for the new residence, which is now 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As preparations began for the new federal city, a competition was held to find a builder of the "President's House." Nine proposals were submitted, and Irish-born architect James Hoban won a gold medal for his practical and handsome design. |
