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Originally called the “President’s Palace” on early maps, the building was officially named the Executive Mansion in 1810 in order to avoid connotations of royalty. Although the name “White House” was commonly used from about the same time (because the mansion’s white-gray sandstone contrasted strikingly with the red brick of nearby buildings), it did not become the official name of the building until 1901, when it was adopted by Pres. The White House is the oldest federal building in the nation’s capital.
Construction of the White House
Early maps referred to the White House as the “President’s Palace,” but in 1810, the building was officially named “Executive Mansion” in order to avoid any connection to royalty. The residence has also been called “President’s House,” or “President’s Mansion.” In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt changed the official name to “White House,” a moniker that had been used throughout the 19th century. August of 1814 saw British raids along America’s coast, with the Brits emboldened by their recent defeat of Napoleon in Europe and a desire to keep the United States focused away from Canada. On August 24, the British defeated the Americans at the Battle of Bladensburg and then moved on to Washington DC. In retaliation for the American burning of York, Ontario the previous year, the British forces set fire to the White House, the Capitol, and other government buildings.

Watch Biden's full remarks at the 2024 White House Correspondents’ dinner
Today, we answered history’s call at this critical inflection point.With the signing of our national security package, we tell the world that America stands resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression. Just minutes into his speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, Mr. Biden launched into the issues dominating the 2024 election, including his age and former President Donald J. Trump’s hush-money trial in New York. Born June 14, 1946, Trump was 70 when he won an upset victory in the Electoral College over Hillary Clinton. By January 2021, the 45th President was 74 years and 200 days old. Trump reportedly avoided exercise other than golf because he considered it unhealthy.
Today in History: Barack Obama denounced former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright
The 1840s saw additions of natural gas to the White House, providing centralized heat and replacing candles with gas lights. Electricity was added in 1891, replacing gas lights with light bulbs. Aside from the porticos, the main building of the White House remained largely unchanged until 1902. Over the years, the executive mansion has seen multiple renovations, including extensive work by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, which included the installation of electric lights. In 1948, after engineers discovered the building to be structurally unsound and unsafe for habitation, Harry S. Truman ordered a complete gutting of the interior and a total overhaul of the building's structure and foundation.
When Was the White House Built?
The ground floor of the Executive Mansion is used for events and is “public space.” The second and third floors are the executive residence, where the president lives with their family. In 1927, the attic of the Executive Mansion was expanded and became its third floor. Similar to their Oval Office, presidents have been allowed to renovate parts of the Executive Mansion and executive residence. Many presidents with children have installed playground equipment on the White House grounds and held events and receptions like prom parties and wedding receptions at the mansion. In 1805, upon winning re-election, Thomas Jefferson held the first Inauguration open house at the White House, allowing the public to enter. Presidents are allowed to renovate the White House to fit their personal needs, as well as those of their families.
A Proclamation on National Park Week, 2024
The central Executive Residence is home to the president’s living spaces and the State Rooms. The ground floor originally housed service areas, but now includes the Diplomatic Reception Room, the White House Library, the Map Room, the Vermeil Room, and the China Room. The State Floor features some of the White House’s most treasured spaces, including the East Room, the Blue, Red, and Green Rooms, the State Dining Room, and the Family Dining Room.

The White House is the official office and residence of the president of the United States. In 2008, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama denounced his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, for what he termed “divisive and destructive” remarks on race. On April 29, 2008, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama denounced his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, for what he termed “divisive and destructive” remarks on race. The State of Michigan’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) section is responsible for insuring and protecting the people, property, and activities of state government. Cybersecurity information for the state of Michigan and resources for the public. Featuring educational and support information for local government, schools and more.
A Proclamation on Education and Sharing Day, USA, 2024
In 1824, he added the South Portico for James Monroe, and he constructed the North Portico for Andrew Jackson from 1829 to 1830. Construction began in October of 1792 with the laying of the first cornerstone. The building was constructed between 1792 and 1800 using Aquia sandstone from the Government Island quarry (also a supplier of stone for the exterior of the US Capitol), bricks made in kilns near the site, and lumber from forests in Maryland and Virginia.
The mansion quickly became a focal point of the new federal city and was symbolically linked to the United States Capitol by way of Pennsylvania Avenue. Following his inauguration in March 1801, Jefferson became the second president to reside in the executive mansion. In keeping with his ardent republicanism, he opened the house to public visitation each morning, a tradition that was continued (during peacetime) by all his successors. He personally drew up landscaping plans and had two earthen mounds installed on the south lawn to remind him of his beloved Virginia Piedmont.
According to whitehouse.gov, members of the American public can tour the White House by scheduling a visit through their member of Congress. Citizens of a foreign countries can arrange tours through their embassy. The White House kitchen has the capacity to prepare dinner for 140 guests and hors d’oeuvres for over 1,000. The White House’s attic was converted into a third floor during the Coolidge administration, and over the years, it has hosted a music room for President Clinton and a bedroom suite for Melania Trump. There is also a solarium, added by Grace Coolidge, with panoramic views of the Mall.
Finally coming upon a room filled with nearly two dozen people, he was shocked and appalled to see many of them spitting on the carpet. Dickens later wrote, “I take it for granted the Presidential housemaids have high wages.” Until the Civil War, however, most White House servants were enslaved people. Moreover, the wages of all White House employees—as well as the expenses for running the White House, including staging official functions—were paid for by the president. Not until 1909 did Congress provide appropriations to pay White House servants.
Biden and Trump are both old. So why are voters keying in on only one of them? - NBC News
Biden and Trump are both old. So why are voters keying in on only one of them?.
Posted: Fri, 15 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
His attendance last year marked the first presidential appearance at the dinner in six years after the event’s two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic and Trump’s refusal to attend while he was in office. One of the most pressing issues for the incumbent president going into the election is Israel’s war in Gaza, which has lost him vital support among left-leaning Democrats, imperiling his reelection prospects. And Sleepy Joe is still awake, while Donald Trump has spent the last week falling asleep in court every morning,” Jost said. I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old,” the president quipped about his opponent, former President Donald Trump. The one apparent blot on Lichtman’s copybook is the 2000 election, where he predicted victory for the Democratic vice-president Al Gore over George W Bush, the Republican governor of Texas.
After September 11, 2001, this change was made permanent, in addition to closing E Street between the South Portico of the White House and the Ellipse.[109] In response to the Boston Marathon bombing, the road was closed to the public in its entirety for a period of two days. In 2021, Brazil became the second country to officially top 400,000 COVID-19 deaths. In 1991, a cyclone began striking the South Asian country of Bangladesh; it ended up killing more than 138,000 people, according to the U.S. In 1946, 28 former Japanese officials went on trial in Tokyo as war criminals; seven ended up being sentenced to death. In 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the Dachau (DAH’-khow) concentration camp.
Senate at his sons’ hospital bedsides and began commuting from Wilmington to Washington every day, first by car, and then by train, in order to be with his family. The White House has also been subjected to disaster, including two fires, one at the hands of the British in 1814 and one in the West Wing in 1929. Famous rooms in the White House include the Blue Room, where President Grover Cleveland married the youngest first lady in history and the President’s Oval Office, which replaced the Roosevelt Room, where President Roosevelt used to house a fish tank and fishing paraphernalia. Today, tours of what is undoubtedly the most iconic residence in the US are a precious commodity. Nonetheless, the visitors centre and surrounding area give a sense of the White House’s role within US history. The White House was set on fire by the British Army in 1814, during the Burning of Washington.