-
When and who designed the White House?
In July 1792, Hoban was named winner of the design competition for the White House. His initial design seems to have had a 3-story facade, nine bays across. Under Washington's influence, Hoban amended this to a 2-story facade, 11 bays across, and, at Washington's insistence, the whole presidential mansion was faced with stone. It is unclear whether any of Hoban's surviving drawings are actually from the competition. -
The White House was built
George Washington decide to built an official president's house, and over the next eight years a construction team comprised of both enslaved and freed African Americans and European immigrants built the Aquia Creek sandstone structure. It was coated with lime-based whitewash in 1798, producing a color that gave rise to its famous nickname. Built at a cost of $232,372, the two-story house was not quite completed when John Adams and Abigail Adams became the first residents on November 1, 1800. -
The British troops burn the White House
In 1814, when James Madison was the president, during the War of 1812 between the United States and England, British troops enter Washington, D.C. and burn the White House in retaliation for the American attack on the city of York in Ontario, Canada, in June 1812. -
The White House was rebuilt
After the fire, James Hoban, the original architect, was commissioned to lead the rebuilding of the White House. In 1817, the building was completed and President James Monroe moved into the White House. Over time the White House as undergone many changes, additions and renovations. During this time it has been one of the most recognized buildings in Washington and around the world.
