Jerry Hendricks, age 11, of Colorado Springs, Colo., for his question:
WHEN WAS THE WHITE HOUSE BUILT?
The 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, was inaugurated a few weeks ago. After being sworn in on the steps of the domed Capitol, the President headed a parade by walking for a mile and a half down Pennsylvania Avenue to his new home, the White House. The handsome mansion is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful houses in the world.
Our first President, George Washington, actually selected the site for the presidential mansion. It was located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in the city designed by Maj. Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the gifted and skilled French architect who had come to America in 1777 with Lafayette.
Designer of the White House was a man named James Hoban. The cornerstone for it was laid in 1792, and Washington lived to see the building nearly completed although he never occupied it.
The first Chief Executive to occupy the new home was our second President, John Adams. He and his wife Abigail moved into the house in 1800 before it was completely finished. Abigail used the unfinished East Room, the largest reception chamber in the mansion, as a place for drying clothes.
Most of the buildings in Washington are made of sparkling white marble, but this is not the case with the White House. It is built of gray Virginia sandstone and. is painted white. The building is on a large park like parcel of land.
In 1814, under the Madison Administration, the British
troops burned the mansion to the ground. But it was soon rebuilt and, except for new coats of white paint, was little changed until 1902 03 when additions were built on each side. Additional changes were made in the home in 1909 as well as in 1934.
During the three year period from 1949 to 1952, the White House was almost completely rebuilt. Harry Truman and his family moved across the street to Blair House during the construction period.
Off of a central hall is the great East Room where formal receptions are held. It is in this room where the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington hangs. Also on this floor you'll find the Blue Room, where distinguished visitors are received, and the formal Green Room. Next over is the White House's state dining room that seats more than 100.
Personal family quarters are on the top floor of the mansion while a bowling alley is in the basement and a swimming pool is outside off the Rose Garden.