History
Construction
On October 13, 1792, construction began with the laying of the first stone, laid by the mayor of Georgetown, Pedro Casanave, a Spanish emigrant of Navarrese origin.
Initial construction took place over an eight-year period, with a reported cost of $232,371.83 at the time ($7.5 million in 2023 dollars). Although still unfinished, the White House was ready for occupancy around November 1, 1800.[1] When construction was completed, the porous sandstone walls were covered with a mixture of lime, rice glue, casein, and lead, giving the house its familiar color and its name.
The first years, fire of 1812, reconstruction
John Adams was the first president to take up residence in the White House on November 1, 1800. During the second day of his stay he wrote a letter to his wife Abigail, which contained a prayer for the house. Adams wrote:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered Adams' blessing to be carved on the mantelpiece of the State Dinner Room. Adams lived in the house for a short time, and it was soon occupied by President Thomas Jefferson, who planned to enlarge the residence. With the help of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, he helped plan the design of the East and West Colonnades, small wings that helped conceal the buildings that housed laundry rooms, a stable, and a warehouse. Currently the Jefferson colonnades join the residence with the East and West Wings.
During the War of 1812, much of Washington was burned by British troops in revenge for the burning of the Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada (now Ontario), leaving the White House in ruins. The interior of the mansion was destroyed, with only the exterior walls remaining, and had to be torn down and subsequently rebuilt due to the weakening caused by the fire and subsequent exposure to the elements, except for portions of the south wall. A legend arose from the reconstruction of the structure, which said that white paint was used to hide the damage caused by the fire, giving the building its name. This is unfounded, given that the building had already been painted white since its construction in 1798. Of all the objects that were looted from the White House during the war, only two have been recovered: a painting of George Washington, rescued by then-first lady Dolley Madison when she escaped from the mansion, and a jewelry box, which was returned to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1939 by a Canadian who said his grandfather had taken it.
The need for more space: the west wing
During the American Civil War, the White House was packed. Some also complained about the location of the White House, just north of a canal and swamps, which were prime conditions for contracting malaria and other diseases.[2] Brigadier General Nathaniel Michler was asked to propose solutions to address these problems.[2] He proposed abandoning the White House as a residence, and using it only as an office; He proposed a new palace for the first family, in Meridian Hill Park in Washington,[2] but the plan was rejected by Congress.
In 1891, First Lady Caroline Harrison proposed additions to the White House, which included a National Wing on the east for an art gallery, and a wing on the West for official functions.[2] A project was designed by Colonel Theodore A. Bingham, which mirrored Harrison's plan.[2] In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt and his large family moved into the White House, finding it too small.[2] Three architects, McKim, Mead & White, were hired to carry out renovations and expansion, including the west wing. The first family spent four months in 1902 in a temporary residence at 22 Jackson Place.[2] Around 1909, President William Taft required more space so they hired architect Nathan C. Wyeth to add more space to the West Wing, which included the installation of the Oval Office.[2]
The Reconstruction of Harry Truman
Decades of poor maintenance and the construction of a fourth floor during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge took their toll on the brick and sandstone structure built on wood frames. In 1948, the house became so unstable that President Harry Truman abandoned it, moving to Blair House between 1949 and 1951.
The reconstruction, carried out by Philadelphia contracting firm John McShain, required completely dismantling the interior spaces, constructing a new internal steel frame, and rebuilding the original rooms within the new structure. Some modifications were made by enlarging and repositioning the central staircase so that it opened into the Entrance Hall, rather than the Central Hall. Central air conditioning was added, and two additional secondary basements provided space for work rooms, storage rooms and a bomb shelter. The Truman family moved back into the White House on March 27, 1952. While the house was saved by Truman's reconstruction, much of the interior furnishings were of little historical value. Most of the original plastering was too damaged to be reinstalled, such as the sturdy Beaux Arts wainscoting in the East Room. President Truman had ordered the original wooden beams preserved. The walls of the Vermeil Room, the Library, the China Room and the Map Room on the floor of the main residence were paneled with wood from these beams.
The Kennedy Restoration
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of President John Kennedy, led the most extensive and historic redecoration of the mansion in its history. Henry Francis du Pont of the museum in Winterthur, Delaware, chaired a committee to restore the house's furniture and artistic objects. The investigation was planned on the use and decoration of the main rooms. Various historical periods were selected as themes for each site: the Federal Style for the Green Room; French Empire for the Blue Room; American Empire for the Red Room; Louis XVI style for the Yellow Oval Room; and Victorian style for the president's study, renamed the Treaty Room. Antique furniture was acquired, and decorative fabrics were ordered based on documents from each period. Many of the antiques, paintings, and other improvements from the Kennedy period were donated to the White House by wealthy patrons, including the Crowninshield family, Jane Engelhard, Jayne Wrightsman, and the Oppenheimer family. Kennedy's restoration resulted in a luxurious White House that resembled European nobility and recalled the French taste of Presidents Madison and Monroe.
Much of the French style came from the interior decorator Stéphane Boudin"), from the company Maison Jansen, a Paris design house, the same firm that had designed the decoration of the palaces of Elsie de Wolfe, Mrs. Olive Baillie, the royal families of Belgium and Iran, the German Reichsbank during the period of Nazism and Leeds Castle in Kent. The first tourist guide to the Mansion was published under the direction of the curator Lorena Waxman Pearce"), with the supervision direct from Jacqueline Kennedy. Sales of the guides helped finance the restoration.
Committee for the Preservation of the White House
Over time, Kennedy's Fine Arts Advisory Committee gave rise to a congressionally chartered body, the White House Preservation Committee, whose mission is to maintain the building's historic integrity. The committee works with the First Family, usually represented by the first lady, the White House curator, and the chief usher. Each presidential family has made some changes to the family rooms, but all changes to the State Rooms must be approved by the White House Preservation Committee. During the Nixon administration, First Lady Pat Nixon restored the Green Room, Blue Room, and Red Room, working with Clement Conger. During the 1990s, under President Clinton, restorations were made to some rooms by Arkansas decorator Kaki Hockersmith. The East Room, Blue Room, State Dining Room, and Lincoln Living Room were restored. A recent restoration of the Lincoln Bedroom, begun during the Clinton administration, was completed during George W. Bush's term.
September 11, 2001
The initial plan for the attacks of September 11, 2001 contemplated the hijacking of 12 planes, one of which was to crash into the White House. Those responsible for the operation realized that it was impossible to cover, since it involved a large number of objectives, so they were finally reduced to 5. The White House continued to be among the planned targets, because it represented the executive branch of the United States. On August 16, 2001, Zacarias Moussaoui—a terrorist who would act as pilot of the fifth aircraft—was detained by the FBI and charged with immigration charges. Following that arrest, the plan was trimmed again to four targets and the attack on the White House was ultimately scrapped.