The White House in Washington (USA) – description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
In the movie “Independence Day”, aliens blew up the White House, the image of which adorns the 20 USD banknote. However, this fact does not put the White House in the ranking of US attractions in an honorable second place after the Empire States Building in New York. First of all, the White House is a symbol of the American nation and the power of presidential power. For the third century now, the White House has symbolized the strength of the nation and the US presidency. The classical architecture of this building, located on Pennsylvania Avenue, is rather laconic, but at the same time elegant and refined.
For the third century now, the White House has symbolized the strength of the nation and the US presidency.
As statistics show, many Russians confuse the White House with the Capitol, the building where the US Congress meets. To avoid confusion, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the history of the legendary White House
At the start of construction and project implementation
According to toppharmacyschools, the foundation stone of the official residence of American presidents, known throughout the world as the White House, was laid in Washington on October 13, 1792 at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. as the White House was originally called, was chosen by George Washington himself, the first president of the United States of America. According to the ruler, it was to be a place “not exceeding ten square miles… on the Potomac River.”
The cornerstone of the official residence of American presidents, known throughout the world as the White House, was laid in Washington on October 13, 1792.
The president also co-designed the building, which was designed by architect James Hoben. worthy of winning the competition announced by George Washington in 1790 to develop an architectural design for the residence.
According to the project, the building of the presidential residence was to be designed in the Palladian style, which was based on borrowing the principles of the classical temple architecture of Ancient Greece and strict adherence to symmetry. $2.5 million was allocated for the construction of the White House.
The Presidential Palace welcomes its first guests
The project of George Washington and James Hoben fully materialized by the early summer of 1800. The date June 4, 1800 is considered the date of completion of the construction of the White House. The constructed building of the presidential residence fully complied with the ideas of its architectural authors.
Unfortunately, the construction that dragged on for 8 years deprived George Washington of the right to become the first honored tenant of the Presidential Palace.
Unfortunately, the construction that dragged on for 8 years deprived George Washington of the right to become the first honored tenant of the Presidential Palace. At the time of the opening of the White House, on November 1, 1800, the country had already been led by the second president, John Adams, for several years, and it was he who moved into the luxurious mansion with his wife Abigail.
“I pray that the heavens will send down all the best gifts to this house and to all who will subsequently live here. Let only honest wise men rule under this roof,” the words are carved from a letter from John Adams to the First Lady on the mantelpiece in the Grand Dining Room.
Mystery of the name
There are several versions about the origin of the current name of the residence. According to one of them, the president’s mansion began to be called the White House, since it, lined with white virgin sandstone and covered with a composition of lime, casein and lead, clearly stood out against the surrounding red granite buildings.
Some scholars note that the name White House was first used in 1811, that is, 11 years after construction was completed. At the same time, historians do not name the reason for the appearance of the name.
However, there is also another version. The opinion of some historians boils down to the fact that the residence began to be called the White House only after the restoration work carried out in order to eliminate the consequences of the fire of 1814. It is believed that it was during this global restoration that the building was painted white.
Be that as it may, the official name of the White House was assigned to the building only a century after the opening of the residence, in 1901, by Theodore Roosevelt.
Time for architectural change
The first century for the White House was an era of destruction and new life. In the 19th century, the White House expanded significantly: in 1801, the western and eastern terraces were added to the building.
The residence underwent a special reconstruction after the war of 1812. In August 1814 the “President’s Palace” was burned down by the British. Work on the restoration of the mansion began almost immediately, and by 1817 the White House appeared before the people as good as new. Moreover, two underground floors appeared in the building, which housed the headquarters of the operational management of the president’s foreign policy and military actions. The rounded south portico was added to the building in 1824, while the columned north portico was added six years later.
At the beginning of the 20th century, in 1901 (during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt), the White House acquired two wings – the West, in which the first Oval Office was created 8 years later, and the East, which served as an entrance for guests. By the way, the East Wing acquired its modern look only by 1942. In 1927, the attic of the mansion was rebuilt for living quarters. And two years later, in order to eliminate the consequences of a strong fire, restoration work was carried out in the West Wing.
By the middle of the 20th century, the building needed a major overhaul. In this connection, under President Harry Truman, in 1949-1952, a major reconstruction of the White House was carried out. The wooden frame of the building was replaced with steel, the interior was redesigned.
Today the White House is a six-story building with 132 rooms, three elevators and many stairs. Tourists who come here on an excursion have a unique opportunity to see the most beautiful and historically significant premises. The famous “colorful rooms” (Blue, Green, Eastern and Red) are open for visiting, where solemn events are held, business and personal meetings are held. Guests are received in the stunning Dining Room, and the Oval Office is the workplace of the president himself. For these and other premises for receptions, two whole floors are given, the rest belong to the presidential family (in addition to the basement).
Tour of the President’s Residence
The White House is located in the heart of the US capital and is an integral part of the Presidential Park, which covers an area of 7.2 hectares. The ensemble of the White House also includes amazing gardens – on the west side is the Rose Garden, created by the wife of Woodrow Wilson, and on the East wing is the beautiful Jacqueline Kennedy Garden.
The White House is located in the heart of the US capital and is an integral part of the Presidential Park, which covers an area of 7.2 hectares.
The building of the presidential residence itself has 6 floors, 2 of which are underground. The total area of the building is more than 5 thousand square meters. m. There are 132 rooms in the White House, including the famous colored rooms: the Oval Blue Hall for ceremonial receptions, the Green Hall for informal meetings, the Red Room, as well as the Family Dining Room, the Great Hall, the Cross Hall, the Oval Office, in which the the President himself, the Dining Room for official receptions and other rooms. The building also has 32 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, 8 stairs and 3 elevators.
Interior of the “President’s House”
The interior of the White House has changed several times. Since the middle of the 20th century, each presidential family considered it necessary to add something special to the decoration of the mansion. However, despite all the changes, the interior of the White House to this day remains in the style of the 18th and 19th centuries. Moreover, all work related to changes in the design of the residence on the state floors must certainly be approved by a special Committee of the White House Board.
Today, walking through the rooms of the White House open to the public, you can see things that once belonged to members of presidential families. For example, Eleanor Roosevelt’s dressing table or Abigail Adams’ silver coffee pot.
Visiting the White House
Anyone can visit the presidential residence on any day from Tuesday to Saturday. For excursions, rooms are open on two floors at once.
The doors of the White House were first opened to the general public under Thomas Jefferson.
By the way, for the first time the doors of the White House were opened to the general public under Thomas Jefferson. In 1805, the third President of the United States received guests for the first time in the Blue Drawing Room. At this reception were people who followed the president to the White House after being sworn in at the Capitol. Jefferson soon opened the doors of the residence to everyone. He also introduced the tradition of holding receptions in the White House in honor of the New Year and Independence Day, celebrated annually on July 4th.
