The White House is the official residence and main workplace of the president of the United States. The project was devised by George Washington and built in 1790 under the direction of the Irish-born architect James Hoban, in the Neoclassical style.1 President George Washington, together with the city architect, Pierre Charles L'Enfant, chose the site where it would be built. Through a contest the architect, native of Dublin, who won the gold medal for the presentation of the design we know today, was chosen. As the name implies, it is a white building located on Pennsylvania Avenue No. 1600 (Pennsylvania Avenue) northwest of the District of Columbia. Designed during George Washington's first term, the building was inaugurated by John Adams in 1800. Formally, the building was named the Presidential Palace, the Executive Mansion, until President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 proposed to Congress to officially adopt the name from «The White House».
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Construction History
The construction began with the laying of the first stone, laid by the mayor of Georgetown, Pedro Casanova, a Spanish emigrant of Navarre origin.
A newspaper kept by the construction commissioner of the District of Columbia records that the basement of the main residence was excavated by slaves. The foundations were also built by slave workers. Most other jobs in the house were carried out by immigrants, many still without citizenship. Most of the brick and plaster work was done by Irish and Italian immigrants.
During the War of 1812, much of Washington was set ablaze by British troops in revenge for the burning of the Upper Canada Parliament Buildings (now Ontario), leaving the White House in ruins. The interior of the mansion was destroyed, and only the outer walls remained, and had to be demolished and later rebuilt due to the weakening that caused the fire and the subsequent exposure to the elements, except for portions of the south wall. A legend arose from the reconstruction of the structure, which said that white paint was used to hide the damage that the fire had caused, giving the building its name. This is unfounded, given that the building had already been painted white since its construction in 1798.
Over time, the Kennedy Fine Arts Advisory Committee gave rise to a body authorized by Congress, the White House Preservation Committee, whose mission is to maintain the historic integrity of the building. The committee works with the First Family, usually represented by the first lady, the conservator of the White House, and the chief usher. Each presidential family has made some changes in the family rooms, but all changes in the State Rooms must be approved by the White House Preservation Committee.
Home
The original residence is located in the downtown area of the White House, in the building that is between the two colonnades, designed by Jefferson, which now serve to connect the offices located in the East Wing and the West Wing. In the executive residence is where the president lives, in addition to the rooms used for state ceremonies and official entertainments
Structure
Very few people realize the true size of the White House, since much of it is distributed in the underground, and it is covered by trees in the garden. The White House has:
6 floors and 5100 m² (55 000 sq. Ft.).
132 bedrooms and 35 bathrooms on the two floors above.
412 doors.
147 windows.
28 chimneys
60 stairs.
7 elevators