White House
On Saturday, the 1st of November 1800, John Adams became the first president to occupy the White House. The building had taken eight years to construct at a reported cost of $232,371.83. Irish-born architect James Hoban designed the structure in the Neoclassical style after winning an architectural competition in July 1792. Washington selected Hoban's submission during a brief review meeting with federal city commissioners. Construction began at noon on the 13th of October 1792, when workers laid the cornerstone. European laborers built the main residence and foundations while enslaved African-Americans quarried stone for the project. Scottish masons erected the porous sandstone walls that would later be painted white. Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801 and added low colonnades to conceal stables and storage areas. Benjamin Henry Latrobe assisted Jefferson with these additions. The exterior walls were made from Aquia Creek sandstone found in Stafford County, Virginia.
On the 24th of August 1814, British forces set fire to the White House during the War of 1812. Only the exterior walls remained standing after the burning of Washington destroyed the interior and charred much of the exterior. President James Madison resided in the Octagon House from 1814 to 1815 before moving to the Seven Buildings. Reconstruction efforts led by Hoban and Latrobe lasted from 1815 until 1817. 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 1830. Italian artisans carved decorative stonework on both porticos while they worked on the U.S. Capitol. Three objects taken from the White House when it was sacked have been recovered including a copy of the Lansdowne portrait rescued by employees and slaves. A Canadian man returned a jewelry box to Franklin Roosevelt in 1939 claiming his grandfather had stolen it. A medicine chest belonging to Madison was also returned that same year.
President Theodore Roosevelt relocated all work offices to the newly constructed West Wing in 1901 due to crowding within the executive mansion. Charles McKim designed and managed the neoclassical expansion project which removed Victorian additions and gave more living space to Roosevelt's large family. William Howard Taft enlisted architect Nathan C. Wyeth to add additional space to the West Wing including the first Oval Office. The third floor attic converted to living quarters in 1927 through augmenting the existing hip roof with long shed dormers. An East Wing used as a reception area for social events connected to Jefferson's colonnades. The East Wing alterations completed in 1946 created additional office space. By 1948, the residence's load-bearing walls and wood beams were found to be close to failure. Harry S. Truman commissioned a complete dismantling of interior rooms and construction of a new internal steel frame inside the walls. The Trumans lived across the street at Blair House from 1949 to 1951 while reconstruction occurred. The total cost of renovations reached about $5.7 million. Central air conditioning was added along with two sub-basements providing bomb shelter space.
Jacqueline Kennedy directed an extensive redecoration of the White House during her husband John F. Kennedy's presidency from 1961 to 1963. She enlisted Henry Francis du Pont to help collect artifacts that had once been housed there. Stéphane Boudin of Paris-based House of Jansen assisted with room decorations using themes like Federal style for the Green Room and French Empire for the Blue Room. Different periods of early republic history became the theme for each room including Victorian for the president's study renamed the Treaty Room. Mrs. Kennedy installed antique Vue de l'Amérique Nord wallpaper designed by Zuber & Cie in 1834 which had hung on another mansion until its demolition in 1961. A televised tour on Valentine's Day 1962 showed her restoration to the public. First Lady Pat Nixon refurbished rooms working with curator Clement Conger bringing over 600 artifacts to the house during the Nixon Administration. Bill and Hillary Clinton refurbished rooms including the Oval Office and Lincoln Bedroom with assistance from Arkansas decorator Kaki Hockersmith. Laura Bush refurbished the Lincoln Bedroom in a style contemporary with the Lincoln era while also updating the Green Room and Cabinet Room.
On the 20th of May 1995, the United States Secret Service closed off Pennsylvania Avenue to vehicular traffic following the Oklahoma City bombing. The closure extended from Lafayette Park to 17th Street before being permanently made permanent after the 11th of September 2001. In February 1974, a stolen U.S. Army helicopter landed without authorization on White House grounds. Twenty years later, Frank Eugene Corder crashed a stolen light plane into the grounds killing him instantly. During the September 11 attacks, staff received evacuation orders after air traffic control reported an aircraft coming toward them though no plane appeared. On the 12th of May 2005, an unauthorized aircraft approached the grounds prompting evacuation by fighter jets and a Black Hawk helicopter. A student pilot accidentally breached White House airspace due to wind or trees. On the 27th of January 2015, an intoxicated man flew a quadcopter drone that crashed on the southeast side of the property. NASAMS units patrol airspace over Washington D.C. strictly prohibiting aircraft entry since the 2005 presidential inauguration.
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Common questions
When did John Adams become the first president to occupy the White House?
John Adams became the first president to occupy the White House on Saturday, the 1st of November 1800. The building had taken eight years to construct at a reported cost of $232,371.83.
Who designed the White House and when was construction completed?
Irish-born architect James Hoban designed the structure in the Neoclassical style after winning an architectural competition in July 1792. Construction began at noon on the 13th of October 1792, and reconstruction efforts led by Hoban lasted from 1815 until 1817.
What happened to the White House during the War of 1814?
On the 24th of August 1814, British forces set fire to the White House during the War of 1812. Only the exterior walls remained standing after the burning destroyed the interior and charred much of the exterior.
How many children have been born at the White House throughout history?
Eighteen children have been born at the White House including Esther Cleveland daughter of President Grover Cleveland. Two presidents William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor died there along with three first ladies.
When did the United States Secret Service close off Pennsylvania Avenue to vehicular traffic?
On the 20th of May 1995, the United States Secret Service closed off Pennsylvania Avenue to vehicular traffic following the Oklahoma City bombing. The closure extended from Lafayette Park to 17th Street before being permanently made permanent after the 11th of September 2001.