White House
The White House is the official home and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America. The house is built of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the late Georgian style. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. As the office of the U.S. President, the term “White House” is used as a metonym for a U.S. president's administration. The property is owned by the National Park Service and is part of “President's Park.”
History
Architectural competition
The young republic's new capital city was sited on land ceded by two states–Virginia and Maryland–which both transferred ownership of the land to the federal government in response to a compromise with President Washington. The D.C. commissioners were charged by Congress with building the new city under the direction of the President. The architect of the White House was chosen in a competition, which received nine proposals. President Washington traveled to the site of the new federal city on July 16, 1792 to make his judgment. His review is recorded as being brief and he quickly selected the submission of James Hoban, an Irishman living in Charleston, South Carolina. The briefness of Washington's review of the plans may have been due to the majority of the submissions being awkward and naïve. Washington was not entirely pleased with the original Hoban submission. He found it too small, lacking ornament, and not fitting the nation's president. On Washington's recommendation the house was enlarged by thirty percent, a large reception hall, the present East Room, was added. This was likely inspired by the large reception room at Mount Vernon.
Design influences
The building Hoban designed was largely modeled on the first and second floors of Leinster House, a ducal palace in Dublin, Ireland, which is now the seat of the Irish Parliament.
Construction
Construction began with the laying of the cornerstone on October 13, 1792. While the White House remains a continuing symbol of American democracy, the house also reflects the nation's early involvement with the institution of slavery. A diary kept by the District of Columbia building commissioner records that the footings for the main residence were dug by slaves. The foundations were also built by slave labor. Much of the other work on the house was performed by immigrants, many not yet with citizenship. The sandstone walls were erected by Scottish immigrants, as were the high relief rose and garland decorations above the north entrance and the “fish scale” pattern beneath the pediments of the window hoods. Much of the brick and plaster work was produced by Irish and Italian immigrants. The initial construction took place over a period of eight years, at a reported cost of $232,371.83 ($2.4 million in 2005 dollars). Although not yet completed, the White House was ready for occupancy on or about November 1, 1800.
Naming conventions
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 referred to variously as the “President's Palace,” “Presidential Mansion,” or “President's House.” Dolley Madison called it the “President's Castle.” There is a common misconception that the term “The White House” wasn't used until after the War of 1812, when the mansion was burned and re-painted. However, the earliest evidence of the public calling it the “White House” was recorded in 1811, three years before the House was set on fire. The name “Executive Mansion” was used in official contexts until President Theodore Roosevelt established the formal name by having the de facto name “White House–Washington” engraved on the stationery in 1901. President Franklin Roosevelt changed his letterhead to “The White House” with the word “Washington” centered beneath. That convention remains today.
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