Tuesday, May 7, 2024

The White House: Everything You Need to Know About the US Presidents Residence

how big is white house

After the British set fire to it in 1814, during the War of 1812, Hoban led the effort to rebuild the structure. The West Wing functions as the President’s office (called the Oval Office). The East Wing has many uses but it is mainly known for being the office of the First Lady. Originally the structure was constructed to cover up the bunker being built during World War II.

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Presidential Bedroom Suite: The small bedroom/living room

Set on 18 acres of land, the White House is made up of the Executive Residence, the East Wing, and the West Wing, with its famous Oval Office. Today, the residence includes six levels with 132 rooms, including 16 family and guest rooms and 35 bathrooms, and is spread over 55,000 square feet. The White House has been home to every president from John Adams to Joe Biden, and it is an enduring symbol of democracy and one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, attracting 500,000 visitors annually. President Biden spoke earlier today with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The President reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security following the successful defense against Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack earlier this month.

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The White House has also been referred to as the “President’s Palace”, the “President’s House”, and the “Executive Mansion”. It was President Theodore Roosevelt who officially gave the White House its current name in 1901. The White House is the official residence and primary workplace of the President of the United States.

Modern Oval Office: 1934–present

Capitol building and other government buildings in Washington, D.C. James Hoban, the architect who was chosen to design the property in 1792, was Irish, but moved to Philadelphia in 1785 to start his career stateside. A checklist of materials and methods was generated for future conservation and restoration. The basic Oval Office furnishings have been a desk in front of the three windows at the south end, a pair of chairs in front of the fireplace at the north end, a pair of sofas, and assorted tables and chairs. The White House has numerous significance to the American citizens. First, the building is one of the most recognized landmarks of the United States.

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. These pavilions and porticoes were created by Ben Latrobe who was responsible for the creation of the US Capitol. There is a family kitchen, a diet kitchen, a main kitchen and 35 bathrooms.

The “White House”, proposed by Hoban, was a refined Georgian-style mansion, in the style of Palladio. Many historians believe that James Hoban’s design was based on his design for the Leinster House (1748) in Dublin, Ireland, excluding the north and south porticoes, which is currently the seat of the Irish parliament. The three-level southern façade combines Palladian and neoclassical architectural styles. The south portico was completed in 1824.[33] At the center of the southern façade is a neoclassical projected bow of three bays. The bow is flanked by five bays, the windows of which, as on the north façade, have alternating segmented and pointed pediments at first-floor level. The bow has a ground-floor double staircase leading to an Ionic colonnaded loggia and the Truman Balcony, built in 1946.[33] The more modern third floor is hidden by a balustraded parapet and plays no part in the composition of the façade.

The building designed by Hoban was based on the first two floors of the Leinster House he had already built in Dublin, now the headquarters of the Irish Parliament. The initial plans for the construction of the Presidential Palace were made by the engineer and artist Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who worked with George Washington on the design of a capital city for the new nation. L’Enfant envisioned a majestic house roughly four times the size of the current White House. Burned to the ground by the British in August 1814, the President’s House was nearly left in its smoldering remains as lawmakers contemplated moving the capital to another city. Instead, Hoban was brought back to rebuild it nearly from scratch, in some areas incorporating the original, charred walls. Upon reassuming residency in 1817, James Madison and his wife Dolley gave the home a more regal touch by decorating with extravagant French furniture.

White House Builder James Hoban’s Irish Roots

Secondly, the White House is used as a symbol of the nation’s belief in democracy and liberty. Due to the historical significance of this building, it is a primary tourist site in the US, attracting both local and international tourists with about 6,000 individuals visit the White House every day. The White House is regarded as a museum of the United States since history is made on a daily basis in this building. The White House Complex, as it is known, includes the central Executive Residence along with the East Wing and West Wing.

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When President Harry S. Truman moved into the White House in 1945, he became concerned about the state of the building. In 1947, a chandelier in the Blue Room almost fell on Bess Truman and her guests from the Daughters of the American Revolution, and in 1948, the leg of Margaret Truman’s piano pierced through the floor of what is now the private dining room. Engineers confirmed that the building was at risk of collapse, and Truman and his family relocated to Blair House, the president’s guesthouse located nearby at 1651 Pennsylvania Ave. At 55,000 square feet, the six-floor White House boasts 132 rooms (16 are family guest rooms), along with 35 bathrooms. According to the official White House web page, it’s home to 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, 412 doors and 147 windows—and has a kitchen equipped to serve full dinner for up to 140 guests, or hors d'oeuvres for 1,000-plus visitors. There are 20 rooms on the third floor including 9 bathrooms and a main corridor.

The residence was designed by Irish-born architect James Hoban in the Neoclassical style.[4] Hoban modeled the building on Leinster House in Dublin, a building which today houses the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature. 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. Following his inauguration in March 1801, Jefferson became the second president to reside in the executive mansion.

James Monroe added the South Portico in 1824; and the North Portico was built in 1829, during Andrew Jackson’s term. According to whitehouse.gov, members of the American public can tour the White House by scheduling a visit through their member of Congress. Citizens of a foreign countries can arrange tours through their embassy. The White House kitchen has the capacity to prepare dinner for 140 guests and hors d’oeuvres for over 1,000.

In 1909, President William Howard Taft redesigned the Presidential office, turning it into the Oval Office. After the San Juan Border Dispute and troop withdrawal, President Johnson’s daughter redecorated the residence with bold geometric designs. Large glass greenhouses were built on both sides of the mansion, providing flowers and plants of all kinds, as well as a pleasant place to talk or read a book. When the second president of the United States John Adams, moved to the Presidential House on November 1, 1800, it was far from finished. The basement, which is now the ground floor, was reserved for all the service staff, cooks, laundry, and other cleaning rooms.

how big is white house

During the 19th century the White House became a symbol of American democracy. In the minds of most Americans, the building was not a “palace” from which the president ruled but merely a temporary office and residence from which he served the people he governed. 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.

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. The residence features a 42-seat movie theater and a tennis and basketball court. The White House bowling alley was given as a gift to President Truman and was later moved to the basement of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The White House’s attic was converted into a third floor during the Coolidge administration, and over the years, it has hosted a music room for President Clinton and a bedroom suite for Melania Trump.

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