At Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, if guests in the US tour move to house number 1600, they will see the villa painted white and built of sandstone in neoclassical architecture, which is the White House (White House). ).

America’s White House

The White House is the residence and main workplace of the President of the United States. From the outside, the design of the White House is said to be modeled after the Leinster House of a duke in Dublin – where is now the Parliament of the Republic of Ireland.

This historic building was built after the United States Congress decided to create the special district of Colombia and chose it as the capital of the United States (July 16, 1790). Pierre L’Enfant, who is responsible for planning the future capital, along with President George Washington personally considered and selected the location of this house.

Historically, there have been nine projects participating in the White House architecture competition and the last person selected was Irish architect James Hoban. On October 13, 1792, the building was started and it took eight years and a sum of $232,371 (equivalent to $2.4 million in today’s value) to complete the building. was November 1, 1800. However, the front and back gates were only added to the building’s architecture in 1825.

The first US president to live in the White House was John Adams, from November 1, 1800.

Initially, the building was called the Presidential Palace or Presidential Mansion. However, from 1811 the name was changed to the White House after its exterior color. In 1901, the name White House was officially established by President Roosevelt and from then on this name was engraved on office furniture in the building.

The meeting room in the White House where important meetings take place

Because most of the White House’s structure is hidden underground, most American tourists cannot realize how large this place is. The floor area of ​​the White House is 5,100 m² in a campus of about 7 hectares, including 6 floors. Inside the building there are 412 doors and 147 windows divided into 132 rooms, offices, 35 bathrooms and 28 fireplaces. To travel in the building, people can use 8 stairs and 3 elevators. The building has 1 tennis court, 1 bowling alley, 1 running track, 1 swimming pool and 1 cinema to serve entertainment and exercise needs.

Dining room in the White House

The White House as it is today is not completely from the original design but has undergone renovation and remodeling processes. In the early 20th century, a number of additional structures were added to both sides of the main building to accommodate the increasing number of employees. In the West Wing there is a world-famous room – the Oval Office (president’s office) and the offices of senior officials, with a capacity of 50 people. There is also the Cabinet Room, where the United States Council of Ministers meets, and the White House Situation Room. Those on the Presidential staff work in the adjoining Eisenhower executive office building.

To serve the officials and staff working here needs up to 5 senior chefs working full time.

The East Wing is home to additional offices, added in 1942. The East Wing is sometimes used for offices and serves as a workspace for the First Lady’s staff. President Jimmy Carter’s wife, Rosalynn Carter, was the first person to set up an office in the East Wing and it was officially called the “First Lady’s Office” in 1977. In fact, the East Wing was built during the White House era. during the second world war for the purpose of concealing the defensive structures underneath the building. These fortifications became known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center in the event of war.

The Rose Garden, where the US president often speaks to high-ranking officials

Like any old building, the White House also has mysterious stories about mysterious, ghostly voices coming from the attic or stories about the ghost of President William Henry Harrison who occasionally appears. now “roaming”. Areas believed to have “ghosts” on the White House grounds include:

Attic room above the Oval Office. Here William Henry Harrison – the shortest serving US President in history – died of pneumonia just one month after taking office. Many White House staff assert that they still hear the voices and footsteps of the late President’s ghost in the attic above the Oval Office. Some security staff during President Truman’s time said that they often heard the mutter “I am David Burns” from that area. (David Burns owned the land where the White House was built; he was forced to give up ownership in 1790)

This is the place where many announcements and statements of the US president are broadcast, and ironically, this place is also haunted. Before her death, former First Lady Dolley Madison built the Rose Garden and she did not want anyone to change it, which is why she often “appeared” to stop “vandals”.