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 White House, Washington, D.C. Posted by:  JimmyEv
N 38° 53.856 W 077° 02.197
18S E 323383 N 4307384
Perhaps the most famous residence in the world, the White House was once set afire by the British and has been open for public tours in one fashion or another since 1805.
Waymark Code: WM2GWR
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 11/01/2007
Views: 307
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George Washington selected James Hoban, an Irish immigrant, as the White House architect after a design competition. Construction began with the laying of the cornerstone in 1792. Although Washington oversaw the building of the home, he wasn’t its first resident. The Georgian building wasn’t finished until 1800, when John Adams was President. He was the first to live in the new nation’s executive mansion.
Thomas Jefferson, the third president, wasn’t pleased with the design of the house and hired Benjamin Henry Latrobe to add terraces and wings. The house was severely damaged by the British in 1814, when they attempted to burn it to the ground. A rainstorm extinguished the flames, but all that was left of the structure were the charred exterior and interior brick walls.
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The country’s fourth president, James Madison, brought both James Hoban and Benjamin Henry Latrobe back to restore the house. North and south porticoes were added to the building and it was painted white for the first time. Every president since Madison has put his own stamp on the White House, whether it be large or small. Most simply redesigned the interior decoration of the home. Two presidents - Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman - altered the exterior of the house. Roosevelt turned the attic into a third floor and added the Executive Office Wing and the East Gallery; Truman added a balcony to the south Portico. The house currently contains 132 rooms spread among six floors.
Visitors have always been welcome to the White House. Thomas Jefferson initiated inaugural open houses in 1805, allowing the public to informally visit after the inauguration. At Andrew Jackson’s inauguration, upwards of 20,000 rabble - according to Washington society - followed him home, partying well into the night. Jackson took refuge in a near-by hotel. The open houses continued, even after the country’s first assassination of a president, until Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president, held a parade in lieu of the traditional open house.
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Thomas Jefferson began the White House’s other two traditions - inviting the public into the home for New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July. These receptions continued until Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Today there are only two ways into the White House - to be personally invited by the President or to arrange a tour through Congress. Most people do the latter. You should call your congress person (Representative or Senator) one to six months before your planned visit. You can’t bring anything with you to the White House - no cell phones, no pens, no purses - nothing except the clothing on your back, a wallet, car keys, and, oddly enough, an umbrella. Make sure to leave everything somewhere. If you don’t, there aren’t any storage facilities and you won’t be able to go on your pre-arranged tour.
On the tour, you’ll see the Blue Room, the East Room, the Green Room, the library, the Red Room, the State Dining Room and the Vermeil Room. Rooms you won’t see are the China Room, the Map Room, the Diplomatic Reception Room, the East Wing, the Oval Office, the West Wing and the President’s Cabinet. The upper floors, containing the family’s living quarters, are strictly off-limits.
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If you don’t want to jump through the hoops of arranging a tour, Lafayette Square offers good views of the front of the building. You’ll notice the security guards on the roof and maybe catch a glimpse of the First Family through one of the windows. From the back, the White House can be seen through the fence, but the Ellipse is under construction and not very accessible.
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The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
The attraction’s own URL: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday-Saturday, 7:30am-12:30pm RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.
Admission Prices:
Free.
Approximate amount of time needed to fully experience the attraction: Half of a day (2-5 hours)
Transportation options to the attraction: Personal Vehicle or Public Transportation
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