The White House

The President of the United States of America works and lives in the White House. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. Since president John Adams (1800), it has been where the President has lived.

It is often used as a name for announcements coming from the president and his cabinet, an example being 'The White House announced today that....'. Currently, there are 132 rooms in the White House: 35 bathrooms, 147 windows, 412 doors, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators.

The White House was designed by James Hoban, and followed Neoclassical style, which was a style that resembled times of classical antiquity such as Ancient Greece. Construction took place between 1792 and 1800, and was changed by presidents as they came and went. Thomas Jefferson added a long series of columns called colonnades, and these were used for the stables as well as storage.

The British Army set the Whitehouse on fire in the War of 1812, a feud between Britain and America, in 1814. Most of the inside was destroyed and the outside was charred. Reconstruction of the White House began shortly after the war, with James Monroe being the first president to live in the new White House in 1817, though it was only partially made at the time. The staple columns that line the front entrance and the back entrance were completed in 1824 and 1829 respectively.

President Theodore Roosevelt constructed the now famous West Wing in 1901. This was due to overcrowding in the White House, and was expanded even further by President William Taft, who created the first Oval Office, which was the main office of the president. This eventually was moved due to the need to have the section expanded.

In 1927, the attic that was located on the third floor was turned into living quarters. Along with this, the East Wing was made, and was used to host people before social events. The colonnades that Jefferson made was what connected the new wings to the White House.

Additional office space was made in 1946 in the East Wing, however in 1948 it was shown that the wood beams and structure of the White House was falling apart and close to failure. President Harry Truman dismantled all the interior rooms to create a new, stable steel frame inside all the walls. Once completed, the rooms were all reconstructed.

As the White House stands today, it is more of a complex then a house. There's the West and East Wings, which have been mentioned, and the Executive Residence, which is where the President stays.

The Executive Residence is made up of six floors including two basements and 4 stories, and is owned and managed by the National Park Service. However, there is also the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which used to be for the State Department but is now for the officers of staff as well as the Vice President. There's also the Blair House, which acts as a guest house for people who are there to see the President for matters of business.

The White House is one of the most iconic symbols of America. It is one of the most popular destinations for tourists, and the structure is incredibly vast. There are White House tours and many other activities to do in and around The White House, and it will house the President of the United States for the foreseeable future.