White House Essay

768 Words4 Pages
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., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical style. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams. The first president mansion was built in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first president occupied the Market Street mansion from 1790 to 1797 was President John Adams. In November 1800, he became the first president to occupy the White House. The President's House in Philadelphia became a hotel. The main residence, as well as foundations of the house, were built largely by enslaved and free African-American laborers, as well as employed Europeans. Much of the other work on the house was performed by immigrants. The initial construction took place over a period of eight years, at a reported cost of $232,371.83, or in present day $2.8 million. The White House was ready to live in on November 1, 1800. When construction was finished the porous sandstone walls were coated with a mixture of lime, rice glue, casein, and lead, giving the house its familiar color and name. The building was originally called "President's Palace, Presidential Mansion, or President's House". The public started calling it the "White House" in 1811. President Theodore Roosevelt established the formal name by having "White House–Washington" engraved on the stationery in 1901. The White House was not finished till years after Washington’s presidency. During Adams' second day in the house, he wrote a letter to his wife Abigail, containing a prayer for the house. Adams wrote: 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
Open Document