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On Tuesday afternoons Washington received male callers from three until four o'clock in the afternoon. The reception was a series of gentlemanly introductions and greetings where Washington was visited in a formal manner as President of the United States. Friday evenings included both women and men and were less formal affairs featuring interaction with colleagues and other politicians. George Washington is the only US president to have never occupied the White House. In New York and then later in Philadelphia, the Washingtons occupied a series of grand houses, where they received members of Congress, officials, foreign dignitaries, and other prominent people according to a standing weekly schedule.
Before the White House: Creating the Presidency
"And the second is, in the White House, everything is there. They have security, they have the working space to accommodate a working president." These federal period objects survive only in the documentary record; all were consumed in the fire set by the British in August 1814 during the War of 1812. One has to look to the Adamses' Massachusetts home for physical evidence of how they lived during and after the years they participated in the nation's life. As the first residents of the White House, they began, under difficult conditions, a 200-year tradition of making the house a home and a place in which to represent the nation, as succeeding first families have done ever since.
John Adams' short White House stay
President Harry S. Truman began a renovation of the building in which everything but the outer walls was dismantled. The reconstruction was overseen by architect Lorenzo Winslow, and in 1952, the Truman family moved back into the White House. In 1842 the visit to the United States of the English novelist Charles Dickens brought an official invitation to the White House. After his calls at the White House door went unanswered, Dickens let himself in and walked through the mansion from room to room on the lower and upper floors. Finally coming upon a room filled with nearly two dozen people, he was shocked and appalled to see many of them spitting on the carpet.
A History of the White House: The US President’s Home
Still, for all the hassles involved — tourists constantly tromping about, snapping pictures — it is an undeniably cool place to call home. (It wasn't built until after Washington, remember, and Grover Cleveland lived there on two different occasions.) It's an enduring symbol of power and freedom. That galling torch-and-run — talk about a Brexit — forced Madison and his wife Dolley into a grand old mansion down the street, the Octagon House, and prompted some discussion on whether to rebuild the White House at all. But it's not as if the president of the United States has to live in the White House. Although with everything there, and a commute like that — the West Wing is a few steps from the main residence — the live-work-play setup has thus far proven impossible to turn down.
Theodore Roosevelt (1901–
Perhaps the most impressive of those perks is use of the White House, the executive mansion — a residence and office building that serves as a command center for whoever receives a majority of the electoral votes cast in the most recent election. While George Washington chose the site and design of the White House, he did not ever live in the residence. John Adams was the first president to live in the White House, moving in on November 1st, 1800.
George H. W. Bush (1989–
Receptions on New Year’s Day and the Fourth of Julycontinued to be held until the early 1930s. Presidents can express their individual style in how they decorate someparts of the house and in how they receive the public during their stay. President Jefferson also opened thehouse for public tours, and it has remained open, except during wartime, eversince.
President Joe Biden, who took up residence on January 20, 2021, continues the legacy of past presidents in this historic landmark. While living in the White House, President Biden is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the residence, although he doesn't have to worry about paying rent or utilities. The most difficult living arrangements for a White House resident, hands down, were James Madison's. On Aug. 24, 1814, during what is now known as the War of 1812, British forces rolled into Washington, descended upon the White House (the President's House then), scarfed down a dinner that had been prepared for the president, his cabinet and some military officers ...
Washington’s Farewell Address is one of the most celebrated documents in American history.
The original architect, Irish-born James Hoban, was appointed to rebuild the house, and President James Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth Kortright, took residence in 1817. The first president, George Washington, chose the location in 1791, but never lived there. John and Abigail Adams had a wealth of experience in establishing and living in official houses prior to their move into the new President's House in Washington, D.C., in 1800. Adams had represented the United States in diplomatic missions to Europe during the Revolution, and in Paris and London in the 1780s when Abigail Adams joined him. However, they resumed a warm and deep long-distance relationship in their later years, each aware they had partnered in an unprecedented achievement in the history of humanity, filled by voluminous mail correspondence.
Washington himself marked the day by attending services at St. Paul's Chapel in New York City, and subsequently donating beer and food to imprisoned debtors in the city. Washington was concerned that the presidents of the Confederation Congress had been overwhelmed by visitors in the past. As a result, during the presidency Washington set aside the late afternoon for meetings with the public and evenings for dinner parties with invited guests.
Responding to charges that she had stolen government property when she left the White House, she angrily inventoried all the items she had taken with her, including gifts of quilts and waxworks from well-wishers. The Cabinet Room, as its name implies, is where the president meets with members of his cabinet, and the Roosevelt Room, where Theodore Roosevelt's office was located, serves as a general-purpose conference room. The Situation Room, known officially as the John F. Kennedy Conference Room, is located in the West Wing basement and actually comprises several rooms. Designated in 1961 by JFK as a space for crisis coordination, it was used by Johnson during the Vietnam War and is where President Barack Obama watched Osama Bin Laden's killing by Navy SEALs.
Not until the 1890s did security begin to seal off open access to the White House grounds. The city of Washington DC (District of Columbia) was established on July 16, 1790, with the site chosen by inaugural president George Washington. Designer Pierre Charles L’Enfant created the map for the new city using inspiration from existing European cities like London, Paris, Madrid, and several cities in Italy. At the time, Washington DC was considered the geographic epicenter of the United States, though this would change during the lengthy era of Westward Expansion. The plans included the location for the future White House, the Capitol to house Congress, and the National Mall. The White House has seen several renovations and additions throughout the years, but its original stone walls still stand.
Early maps referred to the White House as the “President’s Palace,” but in 1810, the building was officially named “Executive Mansion” in order to avoid any connection to royalty. The residence has also been called “President’s House,” or “President’s Mansion.” In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt changed the official name to “White House,” a moniker that had been used throughout the 19th century. Beautiful landscaping has graced the White House grounds since the administration of Thomas Jefferson. The South Lawn features over three dozen commemorative trees that date back to the 1870s.
Various proposals were put forward during the late 19th century to significantly expand the President’s House or to build an entirely new residence, but these plans were never realized. In medieval Europe, kings and other lords were frequently known for the impressiveness and strength of their castles. Did America always have the White House, and has it always looked the way it appears today? Here’s a look at the history of the country’s most famous residence and its growth from a simple house to a vast office complex capable of running the nation.
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