We have a new exciting city tour. Since , the White House has been a symbol of the United States government, the president and the people of America. It has also served as the home of every U. Remodeled and restored many times over the years, the White House is recognized around the world as an emblem of American democracy. For many, the most famous room in the residence is the Oval Office where the president conducts business and meets with his advisers.
A design from Irish-born architect James Hoban was chosen from a group of nine submissions, which also included an anonymous submission by Thomas Jefferson. After the cornerstone was laid in October , Washington oversaw the construction of the residence. President John Adams and his wife Abigail were the first occupants of the Aquia Creek sandstone, Neoclassical-style building in During the War of , British troops captured and burned the executive mansion.
The fire destroyed the interior and severely damaged the exterior. Reconstruction began immediately after the war.
The semicircular South Portico was added in and the North Portico five years later. The residence would remain relatively unchanged until the turn of the 20th century when President Theodore Roosevelt relocated the presidential offices to the newly constructed West Wing. President Howard Taft created the Oval Office in In the main house, the third-floor attic was converted into living quarters in The addition of the East Wing was completed in President Harry Truman oversaw a complete renovation of the White House, including the installation of a new internal steel frame and central air conditioning.
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy oversaw an extensive, historic redecoration of the interior in the early s. The executive mansion has been the setting for numerous state dinners, summit meetings and treaty signings. A public tour must be requested through a member of Congress.
Foreign visitors should contact their respective embassies in Washington, D. Since a limited number of spaces are available, you should submit your request as soon as possible. Requests can be made from 21 days up to six months before your planned visit. Arrive at the White House Visitor Center at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tour. Foreign nationals must show their passports.
You can bring a compact camera for still photographs, an umbrella without a metal tip and medical devices like epinephrine auto-injectors, wheelchairs and electric scooters.
Cells phones are allowed, but should be silenced while inside the White House. After the British set fire to it in , during the War of , Hoban led the effort to rebuild the structure. View of the south facade of the White House, c. The White House is located at Pennsylvania Ave. Empowered by the Residence Act of , President George Washington chose the exact spot for the square-mile capital, on the Potomac River's east bank and near the Capitol building.
Builders laid the White House cornerstone on October 13, , with the Capitol cornerstone following soon after on August 18, Over the years, the executive mansion has seen multiple renovations, including extensive work by Theodore Roosevelt in , which included the installation of electric lights. In , after engineers discovered the building to be structurally unsound and unsafe for habitation, Harry S. Truman ordered a complete gutting of the interior and a total overhaul of the building's structure and foundation.
Truman and his family lived in Blair House across the street during the renovations. Although Washington chose its location and architect, he was the only president never to live in the White House. President John Adams was the first to move into the residence , in before it was finished. Since then, every president and his family has lived at Pennsylvania Avenue. The main floor plan of the White House, drawn by F. At 55, square feet, the six-floor White House boasts rooms 16 are family guest rooms , along with 35 bathrooms.
And when it gets a new coat of paint every four to six years? It takes gallons to cover the exterior. The mansion and grounds also include a now-covered indoor swimming pool, installed for Franklin D. Roosevelt , and an outdoor pool, installed by Gerald R.
Other on-site facilities where the president can let off some steam: a tennis court, one-lane bowling alley, small movie theater, game room, jogging track and putting green. There are rumors of secret rooms in the building, but, according to the White House Historical Association , the only "secret" passage is an emergency shelter built under the East Wing during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
According to the newspaper , at least two tunnels exist under the mansion: One connects to the Treasury Building, and the other leads to the South Lawn. The stone exterior of the building was first painted with a lime-based whitewash in to protect it from the elements and freezing temperatures. But it was President Theodore Roosevelt, who, in , designated the official name of the residence of the U.
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