White House

Washington, D.C., United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

Wheelchair access: Accessible

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The White House, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Designed by Irish-born architect James Hoban and built between 1792 and 1800, the mansion exemplifies Neoclassical style, modeled after Leinster House in Dublin. Its exterior walls are constructed of Aquia Creek sandstone painted white. The building has housed every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800, when the nation's capital relocated from Philadelphia. During the War of 1812, British forces set the mansion ablaze, destroying the interior and charring the exterior; reconstruction commenced almost immediately, with President James Monroe occupying the partially restored residence by October 1817. Subsequent presidents expanded and modified the structure, including the addition of the semicircular South Portico in 1824 and the North Portico in 1829. President Theodore Roosevelt relocated executive offices to the newly constructed West Wing in 1901, which was later expanded to include the first Oval Office in 1909. Further renovations under subsequent administrations added living quarters, reception areas, and additional office space throughout the twentieth century.

Architect

James Hoban

Movement

Neoclassical architecture

Built: 1800
Type: mansion, presidential palace, civic building
Heritage: District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites, National Historic Landmark
Height: 21.33 m
Place: Washington, D.C., United States

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Location

38.89778, -77.03667