The White House
By Andrew Majors
Introducing the White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800.
Building the White House
The White House was designed by Irish-born James Hoban and built between 1792 and 1800. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he and architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe expanded the building, creating two colonnades that were meant to conceal stables and storage. It was originally named the Executive Mansion, until Theodore Roosevelt. The architectural style was Neoclassical. The original construction started October 13, 1792, (which was 223 years ago.) The construction ended on November 1, 1800, (which was 215 years ago.)
Changes and Problems
However, in 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set on fire by the British Army in the Burning of Washington, destroying the interior and ruining much of the exterior. Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed Executive Residence in October 1817. Theodore Roosevelt made lots of changes when he went to office. He changed the name to the White House, and due to crowding, President Theodore Roosevelt had all work offices relocated to the newly constructed West Wing in 1901. Eight years later, President William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and created the first Oval Office which was eventually moved as the section was expanded.
A Busy House
Although to the many changes if the White House, there are many interesting features. For example, there is a bowling alley that Harry S. Truman had built in his term. There is also a movie theatre, and the basement is know as a " underground strip mall" due to its size. Even though there is many distractions in the White House, there is also lots of work to do. The White House receives approximately 30,000 visitors and 65,000 letters, plus nearly 3,500 phone calls, 100,000 emails, and 1,000 faxes a week.
Conclusion and Works Cited
In Conclusion, the White House has had many changes. It is currently home to President Barrack Obama. It is still one of the biggest landmarks in the United States of America.
Works Cited
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house/video-series