3a. The White House [Beyond Books

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3a. The White House

Gilbert Stuart's 1797 painting of Washington was rescued by Dolley Madison after the White House had been set ablaze in 1814.

It is the place where the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, where Abigail Adams hung her dirty laundry, and where a mob of Andrew Jackson's well-wishers devoured a 1,400 pound wheel of cheese in two hours.

In the best American fashion, an Irish-born architect designed it; the British burned it down in 1814; and it even survived Teddy Roosevelt, who officially named it. It is the most exclusive address in the United States — 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C. 20500.

"It" is the White House.

Construction on the White House began in 1792 after architect James Hoban won a contest to be the designer of the "Presidents House." George Washington, who was then running the country from its capital Philadelphia, wanted the house to have "the sumptuousness of a palace" combined with the "convenience of a house." Though Washington would not live in the White House, he oversaw the building's construction.

Take a look into the architectural history of the White House with this article and timeline.

Like many fiscal matters associated with Washington, D.C., the project ran into a price overrun. Scheduled to cost $200,000, designer Hoban brought the structure in at closer to $400,000.

John Adams became the first President to inhabit the White House after moving into the mansion in 1801 shortly after the seat of government moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Every President since Adams has lived in the White House and has brought the personal tastes of he and his family to the residence, which is not surprising as it is a private home after all.

Thomas Jefferson held the first Inaugural open house following his election victory in 1805. Visitors who came to watch Jefferson's swearing-in ceremony at the capitol then walked to the White House where the new President greeted them from the Blue Room.

1898 public reception on the White House front lawn.
Andrew Jackson's Inaugural celebration was not nearly so genteel. In 1829, 20,000 bearded and buckskinned Old Hickory supporters descended upon the White House, rejoicing that one of their own — a common man — had ascended to the presidency. They trashed the White House, tracking mud everywhere, while presidential aides hurriedly filled tubs with whiskey on the White House lawn to entice the revelers outside.

This practice of Inauguration celebrations continued until the time of Grover Cleveland's first administration. Cleveland instead held a procession in front of the White House, a tradition that evolved into the Inaugural parades of today.

Burning Down the House

When James and Dolley Madison presided over the White House, the United States fought the War of 1812 with England. During the steamy summer of August 1814 when American fortunes were at their nadir, British soldiers sailed down the Potomac River, dispatched American resistance, and set fire to the Capitol building. The marauders then turned their attention to the White House, where First lady Dolley Madison had remained as long as possible. At the last possible moment, she ordered Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington taken from its frame and spirited to safety.

This engraving, The Taking of the City of Washington in America, illustrates British forces storming Washington D.C. in 1814 and burning several significant structures including the White House and the Library of Congress.
The British arrived at an abandoned White House. So quickly had the Americans fled that the British found the table in the State Dining Room set for 40, with food and wine ready to serve. After consuming the food, they set a fire that consumed the White House. A British captain recorded that the president's house collapsed "within a shell of fire-scorched sandstone walls."

Architect James Hoban was called in to restore the building beginning in 1815 and by 1817 the Monroe's occupied the rebuilt mansion. Changes in the structure occurred quickly through the years (see timeline). The gray sandstone walls of the Mansion were whitewashed during reconstruction, hence the nickname "White House," a name made official by Teddy Roosevelt in 1901.

White House by the Numbers

Number of rooms	132
Number of bathrooms	32
Number of fireplaces	28
Number of doors	412
Number of dentist offices	1
Number of doctor's offices	1
Number of bomb shelters	1
Number of First Pets (current)	2
Number of Halls	40
Width of building	170 feet
Height of building	58 feet
Depth of building	85 feet
Number of full-time chefs	5
Number of swimming pools	1
Number of bowling alley lanes	2
Number of Acres the Grounds Cover	16
Gallons of Paint to cover outside surface	570
Cost of the 1902 renovation	$425,000
Cost of the 1952 restoration	$5.2 million
Cost of annual maintenance	$4 million
Number on the White House Staff	110
Largest Room	East Room = 87.5' by 45'
Number of floors	6
Number of annual visitors	approx. 1,000,000
Capacity of the "Great Banquet Table"	102 guests
Number of guests at "large" state dinners	2,700

The West Wing

The second floor of the White House, which housed presidential offices and living quarters, proved far too cramped for Teddy Roosevelt and his family that included six children who inherited their dad's temperament. So construction began on the West Wing, the office where the President works, and where executive offices are located. In 1909, William Taft added an Oval Office to he West Wing.

Take a photo tour of the White House.
FDR had the West Wing enlarged and the Oval Office relocated within the wing in 1934. The Oval Office will be familiar to those who watch presidential press conference or are fans of the TV hit "West Wing."

In 1948, the White House was found in imminent danger of collapsing. Some favored razing the building and building an entirely new mansion. However, the interior was gutted and rebuilt during the Truman administration (while the Truman's live across the street at Blair House.) All the historic rooms were rebuilt as exact representations of the originals.

In the 1960s, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis launched a program to redecorate the White House emphasizing American antiques and artwork.. She devoted much time and study to making the White House a museum of American history.

Today over one million visitors tour the White House annually. And several million cybervisitors more take a virtual tour annually at whitehouse.gov

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