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75-614: The White House 's art collection, sometimes also called the White House Collection or Pride of the American Nation , has grown over time from donations from descendants of the Founding Fathers to commissions by established artists. It comprises paintings, sculptures, and other art forms. At times, the collection grows from a president's specific request, such as when Ronald Reagan began collecting

150-473: A National Wing on the east for a historical art gallery, and a wing on the west for official functions. A plan was devised by Colonel Theodore A. Bingham that reflected the Harrison proposal. These plans were ultimately rejected. In 1902, however, Theodore Roosevelt hired McKim, Mead & White to carry out expansions and renovations in a neoclassical style suited to the building's architecture, removing

225-520: A canal and swampy lands, which provided conditions ripe for malaria and other unhealthy conditions, was questioned. Brigadier General Nathaniel Michler was tasked with proposing solutions to address these concerns. He proposed abandoning the use of the White House as a residence, and he designed a new estate for the first family at Meridian Hill in Washington, D.C. Congress, however, rejected

300-539: A convoy of British ships led by HMS Fantome sank en route to Halifax off Prospect during a storm on the night of November 24, 1814, even though Fantome had no involvement in that action. After the fire, President James Madison resided in the Octagon House from 1814 to 1815, and then in the Seven Buildings from 1815 to the end of his term. Meanwhile, both Hoban and Latrobe contributed to

375-517: A copy of the Lansdowne portrait , and in 1939 a Canadian man returned a jewelry box to President Franklin Roosevelt, claiming that his grandfather had taken it from Washington; in the same year, a medicine chest that had belonged to President Madison was returned by the descendants of a Royal Navy officer. Some observers allege that most of the spoils of war taken during the sack were lost when

450-531: A ground-floor double staircase leading to an Ionic colonnaded loggia and the Truman Balcony , built in 1946. The more modern third floor is hidden by a balustraded parapet and plays no part in the composition of the façade. The building was originally variously referred to as the President's Palace , Presidential Mansion , or President's House . The earliest evidence of the public calling it

525-631: A particular space. The total cost to construct the building was $ 10,038,482 when construction ended in 1888 ($ 339 million in 2023), after 17 years. The original tenants quickly outgrew the building and finally vacated it completely in the late 1930s. Becoming known as the Old Executive Office Building, it housed staff members of the Executive Office of the President . The building was considered inefficient and

600-584: A private "hideaway" office in room 180 of the EEOB during his presidency, from where he preferred to work, using the Oval Office only for ceremonial occasions. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was the first in a succession of vice presidents who have had offices in the building. The first wife of a vice president to have an office in the building was Marilyn Quayle , wife of Dan Quayle , vice president to George H.W. Bush. The Old Executive Office Building

675-459: A reconstruction and to live across the street at Blair House from 1949 to 1951. The work, completed by the firm of Philadelphia contractor John McShain , required the complete dismantling of the interior spaces, construction of a new load-bearing internal steel frame, and the reconstruction of the original rooms within the new structure. The total cost of the renovations was about $ 5.7   million ($ 67 million in 2023). Some modifications to

750-491: A set of solar water heating panels that were mounted on the roof of the White House, was removed during Reagan's presidency. Redecorations were made to the private family quarters and maintenance was made to public areas during the Reagan years. The house was accredited as a museum in 1988. In the 1990s, Bill and Hillary Clinton refurbished some rooms with the assistance of Arkansas decorator Kaki Hockersmith, including

825-808: A theme for each room: the Federal style for the Green Room , French Empire for the Blue Room , American Empire for the Red Room , Louis XVI for the Yellow Oval Room , and Victorian for the president's study, renamed the Treaty Room . Antique furniture was acquired, and decorative fabric and trim based on period documents was produced and installed. The Kennedy restoration resulted in a more authentic White House of grander stature, which recalled

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900-535: Is hidden by a balustraded parapet . The three-level southern façade combines Palladian and neoclassical architectural styles. The ground floor is rusticated in the Palladian fashion. The south portico was completed in 1824. At the center of the southern façade is a neoclassical projected bow of three bays. The bow is flanked by five bays, the windows of which, as on the north façade, have alternating segmented and pointed pediments at first-floor level. The bow has

975-409: Is hidden by a raised carriage ramp and parapet . The central three bays are situated behind a prostyle portico that was added c.  1830 . The windows of the four bays flanking the portico, at first-floor level, have alternating pointed and segmented pediments , while the second-floor pediments are flat. A lunette fanlight and a sculpted floral festoon surmount the entrance. The roofline

1050-661: Is recorded as being brief, and he quickly selected Hoban's submission. The Neoclassical design of the White House is based primarily on architectural concepts inherited from the Roman architect Vitruvius and the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The design of the upper floors also includes elements based on Dublin's Leinster House , which later became the seat of the Irish parliament ( Oireachtas ). The upper windows with alternate triangular and segmented pediments are inspired by

1125-633: Is speculated as the source of inspiration due to its similarity with the South Portico, although this matter is one of great debate. Italian artisans, brought to Washington to help in constructing the U.S. Capitol , carved the decorative stonework on both porticos. Contrary to speculation, the North Portico was not modeled on a similar portico on another Dublin building, the Viceregal Lodge (now Áras an Uachtaráin , residence of

1200-538: The Charleston County Courthouse then under construction, which had been designed by Hoban. Washington is reputed to have met with Hoban during the visit. The following year, Washington summoned the architect to Philadelphia and met with him in June 1792. On July 16, 1792, the president met with the commissioners of the federal city to make his judgment in the architectural competition. His review

1275-656: The Croatian island of Brač , specifically the Pučišća quarry whose stone was used to build the ancient Diocletian's Palace in Split , was used in the building's original construction. However, researchers believe limestone from the island was used in the 1902 renovations and not the original construction. Others suggest the original sandstone simply came from Aquia Creek in Stafford County, Virginia , since importation of

1350-723: The Dordogne region of France. Construction on the French house was initially started before 1789, interrupted by the French Revolution for 20 years, and then finally built between 1812 and 1817 based on Salat's pre-1789 design. The conceptual link between the two houses has been criticized because Hoban did not visit France. Supporters of the connection contend that Thomas Jefferson , during his tour of Bordeaux in 1789, viewed Salat's architectural drawings, which were on file at École Spéciale d'Architecture . On his return to

1425-698: The President's Park . In 2007, it was ranked second on the American Institute of Architects list of America's Favorite Architecture . Following his April 1789 inauguration, President George Washington occupied two private houses in New York City , which served as the executive mansion. He lived at the first, the Walter Franklin House , which was owned by Treasury Commissioner Samuel Osgood , at 3   Cherry Street, through late February 1790. The executive mansion moved to

1500-606: The State Department and other departments (it now houses additional offices for the president's staff and the vice president ), and Blair House , a guest residence. The Executive Residence is made up of six stories: the Ground Floor, State Floor, Second Floor, and Third Floor, and a two-story basement . The property is a National Heritage Site owned by the National Park Service and is part of

1575-615: The White House Historical Association , and these are often complemented by those on loan from museums. White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States . Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. , it has served as the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800 when the national capital

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1650-535: The bombing of Pearl Harbor . Presidents have occupied space in the EEOB as well. Herbert Hoover worked out of the Secretary of the Navy 's office for a few months following a fire in the Oval Office on Christmas Eve 1929. President Dwight D. Eisenhower held the first televised presidential news conference in the building's Indian Treaty Room (Room 474) on January 19, 1955. President Richard Nixon maintained

1725-554: The president of Ireland ), for its portico postdates the White House porticos' design. For the North Portico, a variation on the Ionic Order was devised, incorporating a swag of roses between the volutes. This was done to link the new portico with the earlier carved roses above the entrance. By the time of the American Civil War , the White House had become overcrowded. The location of the White House, just north of

1800-410: The presidential pool and spa. One hundred sixty-seven solar photovoltaic grid-tied panels were installed at the same time on the roof of the maintenance facility. The changes were not publicized as a White House spokeswoman said the changes were an internal matter, but the story was covered by industry trade journals. In 2013, President Barack Obama had a set of solar panels installed on the roof of

1875-541: The "White House" was recorded in 1811. A myth emerged that during the rebuilding of the structure after the Burning of Washington , white paint was applied to mask the burn damage it had suffered, giving the building its namesake hue. The name "Executive Mansion" was used in official contexts until President Theodore Roosevelt established "The White House" as its formal name in 1901 via Executive Order. The current letterhead wording and arrangement of "The White House" with

1950-551: The Executive Residence, the third floor attic was converted to living quarters in 1927 by augmenting the existing hip roof with long shed dormers. A newly constructed East Wing was used as a reception area for social events; Jefferson's colonnades connected the new wings. The East Wing alterations were completed in 1946, creating additional office space. By 1948, the residence's load-bearing walls and wood beams were found to be close to failure. Under Harry S. Truman ,

2025-516: The French taste of Madison and Monroe. In the Diplomatic Reception Room , Mrs. Kennedy installed an antique "Vue de l'Amérique Nord" wallpaper which Zuber & Cie had designed in 1834. The wallpaper had hung previously on the walls of another mansion until 1961 when that house was demolished for a grocery store. Just before the demolition, the wallpaper was salvaged and sold to the White House. The first White House guidebook

2100-506: The Irish building. Additionally, several Georgian-era Irish country houses have been suggested as sources of inspiration for the overall floor plan, including the bow-fronted south front and the former niches in the present-day Blue Room . The first official White House guide, published in 1962, suggested a link between Hoban's design for the South Portico and Château de Rastignac , a neoclassical country house in La Bachellerie in

2175-663: The Kennedy period were donated to the White House by wealthy philanthropists, including the Crowninshield family , Jane Engelhard , Jayne Wrightsman , and the Oppenheimer family. Stéphane Boudin of the House of Jansen , a Paris interior-design firm that had been recognized worldwide, was employed by Jacqueline Kennedy to assist with the decoration. Different periods of the early republic and world history were selected as

2250-490: The Old Executive Office Building. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt , William Howard Taft , Franklin D. Roosevelt , Dwight D. Eisenhower , Lyndon B. Johnson , Gerald Ford , and George H. W. Bush all had offices in this building before becoming president. It has housed 16 Secretaries of the Navy , 21 Secretaries of War , and 24 Secretaries of State . Sir Winston Churchill once walked its corridors and Japanese emissaries met there with Secretary of State Cordell Hull after

2325-645: The Oval Office moved to its present location: adjacent to the Rose Garden . Decades of poor maintenance, the construction of a fourth-story attic during the Coolidge administration , and the addition of a second-floor balcony over the south portico for Harry S. Truman took a great toll on the brick and sandstone structure built around a timber frame. By 1948, the house was declared to be in imminent danger of collapse, forcing President Truman to commission

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2400-705: The Oval Office, the East Room, Blue Room, State Dining Room , Lincoln Bedroom , and Lincoln Sitting Room. During the administration of George W. Bush , First Lady Laura Bush refurbished the Lincoln Bedroom in a style contemporary with the Lincoln era ; the Green Room, Cabinet Room , and theater were also refurbished. The White House became one of the first wheelchair-accessible government buildings in Washington, D.C., when modifications were made during

2475-529: The Tiffany screen and all Victorian additions. Charles McKim himself designed and managed the project, which gave more living space to the president's large family by removing a staircase in the West Hall and moving executive office staff from the second floor of the residence into the new West Wing. President William Howard Taft enlisted the help of architect Nathan C. Wyeth to add additional space to

2550-467: The U.S., Jefferson then shared the influence with Washington , Hoban, Monroe, and Benjamin Henry Latrobe . Construction of the White House began at noon on October 13, 1792, with the laying of the cornerstone. The main residence and foundations of the house were built largely by both enslaved and free African-American laborers, and employed Europeans . Much of the other work on the house

2625-500: The West Wing, which included the addition of the Oval Office . In 1925, Congress enacted legislation allowing the White House to accept gifts of furniture and art for the first time. The West Wing was damaged by fire on Christmas Eve 1929; Herbert Hoover and his aides moved back into it on April 14, 1930. In the 1930s, a second story was added, as well as a larger basement for White House staff, and President Franklin Roosevelt had

2700-493: The White House stables, in the French Second Empire style . As its original name suggests, it was initially built to house the staff of three government cabinet departments. The building's elaborate architectural style received substantial criticism when it was first completed; it has since been designated as a National Historic Landmark . The first executive offices were constructed between 1799 and 1820 on

2775-411: The White House, making it the first time solar power was used for the president's living quarters. Eisenhower Executive Office Building The building is located on 17th Street NW, between Pennsylvania Avenue and State Place and West Executive Drive. It was commissioned by President Ulysses S. Grant , and built between 1871 and 1888 on the site of the original 1800 War/State/Navy Building and

2850-645: The White House, no substantive architectural changes have been made to the house since the Truman renovation. Since the Kennedy restoration, every presidential family has made some changes to the private quarters of the White House, but the Committee for the Preservation of the White House must approve any modifications to the State Rooms. Charged with maintaining the historical integrity of the White House,

2925-416: The addition of the semicircular South Portico in 1824 and the North Portico in 1829. Because of crowding within the executive mansion itself, President Theodore Roosevelt had all work offices relocated to the newly constructed West Wing in 1901. Eight years later, in 1909, President William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and created the first Oval Office , which was eventually moved and expanded. In

3000-525: The building and sold at a public auction . All that was saved were bust portraits of John Adams and Martin Van Buren . A proposal was made to build a new residence south of the White House, but it failed to gain support. In the fall of 1882, work was done on the main corridor, including tinting the walls pale olive and adding squares of gold leaf , and decorating the ceiling in gold and silver, with colorful traceries woven to spell "USA." The Red Room

3075-540: The building. It remained vacant until 1800 when it was sold to the University of Pennsylvania . On Saturday, November 1, 1800, Adams became the first president to occupy the White House. The President's House in Philadelphia was converted into Union Hotel and later used for stores before being demolished in 1832. The President's House was a major feature of Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant's 1791 plan for

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3150-429: The capital be permanently located in the new Federal District , and temporarily in Philadelphia for ten years while the permanent capital was built. Philadelphia rented the mansion of Robert Morris , a merchant, at 190 High Street, now 524–30 Market Street , as the President's House , which Washington occupied from November 1790 to March 1797. Since the house was too small to accommodate the 30 people who then made up

3225-617: The congressionally authorized committee works with each First Family — usually represented by the first lady, the White House curator , and the chief usher — to implement the family's proposals for altering the house. During the Nixon Administration (1969–1974), First Lady Pat Nixon refurbished the Green Room, Blue Room, and Red Room, working with Clement Conger , the curator appointed by President Richard Nixon . Mrs. Nixon's efforts brought more than 600 artifacts to

3300-848: The construction of both the U.S. Capitol and the White House. Hoban was born in Ireland and trained at the Dublin Society of Arts . He emigrated to the U.S. after the American Revolution , first seeking work in Philadelphia and later finding success in South Carolina , where he designed the state capitol in Columbia . President Washington visited Charleston, South Carolina , in May 1791 on his Southern Tour, and saw

3375-556: The design and oversight of the reconstruction, which lasted from 1815 until 1817. The south portico was constructed in 1824 during the James Monroe administration. The north portico was built in 1830. Though Latrobe proposed similar porticos before the fire in 1814, both porticos were built as designed by Hoban. An elliptical portico at Château de Rastignac in La Bachellerie, France, with nearly identical curved stairs,

3450-584: The design for the East and West Colonnades, small wings that helped conceal the domestic operations of laundry, a stable and storage. Today, Jefferson's colonnades link the residence with the East and West Wings. In 1814, during the War of 1812 , the White House was burned by British forces during the Burning of Washington , in retaliation for acts of destruction by American troops in the Canadas ; much of Washington

3525-442: The finished structure contained only two main floors instead of the planned three, and a less costly brick served as a lining for the stone façades. When construction was finished, the porous sandstone walls were whitewashed with a mixture of lime, rice glue, casein, and lead, giving the house its familiar color and name. The main entrance is located on the north façade under a porte cochere with Ionic columns. The ground floor

3600-543: The floor plan were made, the largest being the repositioning of the grand staircase to open into the Entrance Hall, rather than the Cross Hall. Central air conditioning was added, as well as two additional sub-basements providing space for workrooms, storage, and a bomb shelter. The Trumans moved back into the White House on March 27, 1952. While the Truman reconstruction preserved the house's structure, much of

3675-654: The former site of the Washington Jockey Club , flanking the White House . In 1869, following the Civil War, Congress appointed a commission to select a site and submit plan and cost estimates for a new State Department Building, with possible arrangements to house the War and Navy departments. The building, originally called the State , War , and Navy (SWAN) Building because it housed these three departments,

3750-502: The house in 1801, he and architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe added low colonnades on each wing to conceal what then were stables and storage. In 1814, during the War of 1812 , the mansion was set ablaze by British forces in the burning of Washington , destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior. Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed Executive Residence in October 1817. Exterior construction continued with

3825-433: The house, the largest acquisition by any administration. Her husband created the modern press briefing room over Franklin Roosevelt 's old swimming pool. Nixon also added a single-lane bowling alley to the White House basement. Computers and the first laser printer were added during the Carter administration , and the use of computer technology was expanded during the Reagan administration . A Carter-era innovation,

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3900-417: The interior rooms were completely dismantled and a new internal load-bearing steel frame was constructed inside the walls. On the exterior, the Truman Balcony was added. Once the structural work was completed, the interior rooms were rebuilt. The present-day White House complex includes the Executive Residence, the West Wing, the East Wing, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building , which previously served

3975-439: The larger quarters at Alexander Macomb House at 39–41 Broadway , where Washington stayed with his wife Martha and a small staff until August 1790. In May 1790, construction began on a new official residence in Manhattan called Government House . Washington never lived at Government House since the national capital was moved to Philadelphia in 1790, where it remained through 1800. The July 1790 Residence Act designated

4050-419: The main residence were paneled in wood from the timbers. Jacqueline Kennedy , wife of President John F. Kennedy (1961–63), directed a very extensive and historic redecoration of the house. She enlisted the help of Henry Francis du Pont of the Winterthur Museum to assist in collecting artifacts for the mansion, many of which had once been housed there. Other antiques, fine paintings, and improvements from

4125-408: The mantel in the State Dining Room. Adams lived in the house only briefly before Thomas Jefferson moved into the "pleasant country residence" in 1801. Despite his complaints that the house was too big ("big enough for two emperors, one pope, and the grand lama in the bargain"), Jefferson considered how the White House might be expanded and improved. With Benjamin Henry Latrobe , he helped lay out

4200-458: The nation's first president courted the first lady in the mid-18th century. On Saturday, November 1, 1800, John Adams became the first president to take residence in the building. The next day he wrote his wife Abigail: "I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this House, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof." President Franklin D. Roosevelt had Adams's blessing carved into

4275-414: The new interior finishes were generic and of little historic significance. Much of the original plasterwork, some dating back to the 1814–1816 rebuilding, was too damaged to reinstall, as was the original robust Beaux Arts paneling in the East Room. President Truman had the original timber frame sawed into paneling; the walls of the Vermeil Room , Library , China Room , and Map Room on the ground floor of

4350-461: The newly established federal city of Washington, D.C. After L'Enfant's dismissal in early 1792, Washington and his Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson , who both had personal interests in architecture, agreed that the design of the President's House and the Capitol would be chosen in a design competition . Nine proposals were submitted for the new presidential residence with the award going to Irish-American architect James Hoban . Hoban supervised

4425-496: The plan. Another option was Metropolis View, which is now the campus of The Catholic University of America . When Chester A. Arthur took office in 1881, he ordered renovations to the White House to take place as soon as the recently widowed Lucretia Garfield moved out. Arthur inspected the work almost nightly and made several suggestions. Louis Comfort Tiffany was asked to send selected designers to assist. Over twenty wagonloads of furniture and household items were removed from

4500-536: The presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt , who used a wheelchair because of his paralytic illness . In the 1990s, Hillary Clinton , at the suggestion of the Visitors Office director, approved the addition of a ramp in the East Wing corridor, affording easier wheelchair access for the public tours and special events that enter through the secure entrance building on the east side. In 2003, the Bush administration reinstalled solar thermal heaters. These units are used to heat water for landscape maintenance personnel and for

4575-401: The president's executive office , such as the Office of the Vice President , the Office of Management and Budget , and the National Security Council . Its most public function is that of the Vice President's Ceremonial Office, which is used chiefly for special meetings and press conferences. Many celebrated national figures have participated in historical events that have taken place within

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4650-402: The president. This prevented them from being sold (as many objects in the executive mansion had been in the past 150 years). When not in use or display at the White House, these items were to be turned over to the Smithsonian Institution for preservation, study, storage, or exhibition. The White House retains the right to have these items returned. Out of respect for the historic character of

4725-516: The presidential family, staff, and servants, Washington had it enlarged. President John Adams , who succeeded Washington and served as the nation's second president, occupied the High Street mansion in Philadelphia from March 1797 to May 1800. Philadelphia began construction of a much grander presidential mansion several blocks away in 1792. It was nearly completed by the time of Adams' 1797 inauguration. However, Adams chose not to occupy it, saying he did not have Congressional authorization to lease

4800-442: The stone at the time would have proved too costly. The initial construction took place over a period of eight years at a reported cost of $ 232,371.83 (equivalent to $ 4,172,000 in 2023). Although not yet completed, the White House was ready for occupancy circa November 1, 1800. Pierre L'Enfant 's plan for a grand palace was five times larger than the house that was eventually built. Due in part to material and labor shortages,

4875-405: The word "Washington" centered beneath it dates to the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt . Although the structure was not completed until some years after the presidency of George Washington, there is speculation that the name of the traditional residence of the president of the United States may have been derived from Martha Washington 's home, White House Plantation , in Virginia , where

4950-416: The work of naval artist Tom Freeman in 1986, a tradition that continued through the Obama years. The White House's Art collection was established by an Act of Congress in 1961 and grew extensively during the Kennedy Administration . It now includes more than 65,000 objects if individual items are catalogued. As of 2021, there are more than 500 pieces on view under the care of the White House Curator and

5025-405: Was affected by these fires as well. Only the exterior walls remained, and they had to be torn down and mostly reconstructed because of weakening from the fire and subsequent exposure to the elements, except for portions of the south wall. Of the numerous objects taken from the White House when it was sacked by the British, only three have been recovered. White House employees and slaves rescued

5100-786: Was built between 1871 and 1888 in the French Second Empire style . It was designed by Alfred B. Mullett , Supervising Architect of the Department of Treasury, which had responsibility for federal buildings. Patterned after French Second Empire architecture that clashed sharply with the neoclassical style of the other Federal buildings in the city, it was generally regarded with scorn and disdain. Writer Mark Twain referred to this building as "the ugliest building in America." President Harry S. Truman called it "the greatest monstrosity in America." Historian Henry Adams called it Mullett's "architectural infant asylum." Mullett later resigned. Beset by financial difficulties, litigation, and illness, in 1890 he committed suicide. The exterior granite

5175-421: Was cut and polished on the island of Vinalhaven, Maine , under a contract with Bodwell Granite Company. Much of the interior was designed by Richard von Ezdorf , using fireproof cast-iron structural and decorative elements. These included massive skylights above each of the major stairwells, and doorknobs with cast patterns indicating which of the original three occupying departments (State, Navy, or War) occupied

5250-437: Was done by immigrants, many of whom had not yet obtained citizenship, including the sandstone walls, which were erected by Scottish immigrants , the high-relief rose, and garland decorations above the north entrance and the fish scale pattern beneath the pediments of the window hoods. There are conflicting claims as to where the sandstone used in the construction of the White House originated. Some reports suggest sandstone from

5325-514: Was moved from Philadelphia . The "White House" is also used as a metonym to refer to the Executive Office of the President of the United States . The residence was designed by Irish -born architect James Hoban in the Neoclassical style. Hoban modeled the building on Leinster House in Dublin , a building which today houses the Oireachtas , the Irish legislature. Constructed between 1792 and 1800, its exterior walls are Aquia Creek sandstone painted white. When Thomas Jefferson moved into

5400-533: Was nearly demolished in 1957. In 1969, the building was designated as a National Historic Landmark . In 1981, plans began to restore all the "secretary of" suites. The main office of the Secretary of the Navy was restored in 1987 and is now used as the ceremonial office of the vice president . Shortly after September 11, 2001, the 17th Street side of the building was vacated and has since been modernized. The building continues to house various agencies that compose

5475-405: Was painted a dull Pomeranian red, and its ceiling was decorated with gold, silver, and copper stars and stripes of red, white, and blue. A fifty-foot jeweled Tiffany glass screen, supported by imitation marble columns, replaced the glass doors that separated the main corridor from the north vestibule. In 1891, First Lady Caroline Harrison proposed major extensions to the White House, including

5550-548: Was produced under the direction of curator Lorraine Waxman Pearce with direct supervision from Mrs. Kennedy. Sales of the guidebook helped finance the restoration. In a televised tour of the house on Valentine's Day in 1962, Kennedy showed her restoration of the White House to the public. Congress enacted legislation in September 1961 declaring the White House a museum. Furniture, fixtures , and decorative arts could now be declared either historic or of artistic interest by

5625-506: Was renamed the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building when President Bill Clinton approved legislation changing the name on November 9, 1999. President George W. Bush participated in a rededication ceremony on May 7, 2002. A small fire on December 19, 2007, damaged an office of the vice-president's staff and included the VP ceremonial office. According to media reporting, the office of

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