Designed

White House, formerly Executive Mansion (1810–1902), the official office and residence of the president of the United States at 1600 N.W. In The White House and its landscaped grounds occupy 18 acres (7.2 hectares). Since the administration of (1789–97), who occupied presidential residences in New York and, every American president has resided at the White House.

Originally called the “President’s Palace” on early maps, the building was officially named the Executive Mansion in 1810 in order to avoid of royalty. Although the name “White House” was commonly used from about the same time (because the mansion’s white-gray sandstone contrasted strikingly with the red brick of nearby buildings), it did not become the official name of the building until 1902, when it was adopted by President (1901–09). The White House is the oldest federal building in the nation’s capital.The building’s history begins in 1792, when a public competition was held to choose a design for a presidential residence in the new capital city of Washington., later the country’s third president (1801–09), using the pseudonymous initials “A.Z.,” was among those who submitted drawings, but Irish American architect won the commission (and a $500 prize) with his plan for a Georgian mansion in the style.

The structure was to have three floors and more than 100 rooms and would be built in sandstone imported from quarries along Aquia Creek in Virginia. The cornerstone was laid on October 13, 1792.

Labourers, including local slaves, were housed in temporary huts built on the north side of the. They were joined by skilled stonemasons from Edinburgh, in 1793.

The tree mysteriously disappeared from the White House lawn,. Dinner at Mount Vernon, President George Washington's residence in.

Facts Matter. Support the truth and unlock all of Britannica’s content.There is not a single apartment finished. We have not the least fence, yard, or other convenience outside. I use the great unfinished audience room East Room as a drying room for hanging up the clothes.

The White House in the 19th centuryThe mansion quickly became a focal point of the new federal city and was symbolically linked to the by way of Pennsylvania Avenue. Following his inauguration in March 1801 Jefferson became the second president to reside in the executive mansion. In keeping with his republicanism, he opened the house to public visitation each morning, a tradition that was continued (during peacetime) by all his successors. He personally drew up landscaping plans and had two earthen mounds installed on the south lawn to remind him of his beloved Virginia piedmont.

Meanwhile, construction continued on the building’s interior, which still lacked ample staircases and suffered from a persistently leaky roof. During Jefferson’s, the White House was elegantly furnished in (known in America as ). During the the building was burned by the British, and President (1809–17) and his family were forced to flee the city. The Madisons eventually moved into the nearby Octagon House, the Washington mansion of John Tayloe, a Virginia plantation owner. Reconstruction and expansion began under Hoban’s direction, but the building was not ready for occupancy until 1817, during the administration of President (1817–25). Hoban’s reconstruction included the addition of east and west terraces on the main building’s flanks; a semicircular south and a colonnaded north portico were added in the 1820s.

During the 19th century the White House became a symbol of American. 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.The inauguration of (1829–37), the “people’s president,” attracted thousands of well-wishers to the nation’s capital. As Jackson rode on horseback down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, he was surrounded by a frenetic throng of 20,000 people, many of whom attempted to follow him into the mansion to get a better look at their hero. In 1842 the visit to the United States of the English novelist brought an official invitation to the White House. After his calls at the White House door went unanswered, Dickens let himself in and walked through the mansion from room to room on the lower and upper floors.

Finally coming upon a room filled with nearly two dozen people, he was shocked and appalled to see many of them spitting on the carpet. Dickens later wrote, “I take it for granted the Presidential housemaids have high wages.” Until the Civil War, however, most White House servants were slaves. Moreover, the wages of all White House employees—as well as the expenses for running the White House, including staging official functions—were paid for by the president. Not until 1909 did Congress provide appropriations to pay White House servants.Dickens was not the only foreign visitor to be disappointed with the White House.

George Washington Tree At Whitehouse

On a trip to Washington just before the Civil War, Aleksandr Borisovich Lakier, a Russian nobleman, wrote that “the home of the presidentis barely visible behind the trees.” The White House, he said, was “sufficient for a private family and not at all conforming to the expectations of a European.” Subsequent changes to the building in the 19th century were relatively minor. The interior was redecorated during various presidential administrations and modern conveniences were regularly added, including a refrigerator in 1845, gas lighting in 1849, and electric lighting in 1891.The White House was the scene of mourning after the assassination of President (1861–65).

While lay in her room for five weeks grieving for her husband, many White House holdings were looted. Responding to charges that she had stolen government property when she left the White House, she angrily inventoried all the items she had taken with her, including gifts of quilts and waxworks from well-wishers.

A dedicated animal lover and pet owner himself, President let his sons Tad and Willie, keep all the pets they wanted. And, oh the pets they kept. According to various historians, at one time the Lincoln’s White House menagerie grew to include turkeys, horses, rabbits, and two goats named Nanny and Nanko.

Nanny and Nanko sometimes rode with Abe on in the presidential carriage. The turkey, Jack, went from the main dish on the Lincolns’ dinner menu to cherished pet when First Son Tad begged for the bird’s life. Along with a Collie dog named Dash and two opossums named Mr.

Reciprocity and Mr. Protection, twenty-third President, also allowed his grandchildren to keep a goat named His Whiskers, which often pulled the children around the White House lawn in a cart. One memorable day, His Whiskers, with the children in tow, ran uncontrolled through the White House gates. Numerous Washington, D.C., residents were reportedly amused to have seen the himself, holding on to his top hat and waving his cane, chasing a runaway goat cart down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Use this music video to teach and learn the Alphabet, Phonics, the Letter R Sound, Vocabulary Words with the Letter R, and How to Write the Uppercase and Lowercase Letter R. Songs starting from r. The Letter R Song by Have Fun Teaching is a great way to learn all about the Letter R.

Along with a white Collie named Blanco and a mixed-breed dog named Yuki, President, a Democrat owned four Beagles named Him, Her, Edgar, and Freckles. During his 1964 re-election campaign, Johnson was photographed holding Him up by his ears. Republican leaders in Congress pointed to the incident as “animal cruelty” and predicted it would end LBJ’s political career. However, Johnson produced several books proving that lifting Beagles by their ears was common and did not harm the dogs.

In the end, the photo ended up endearing Johnson to dog owners, helping him defeat his Republican opponent, Barry Goldwater.