Photo: Getty
01of 21By the NumbersGettyBoasting 55,000-square-feet of living space, the White House has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases and three elevators, all spread across six floors.
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By the Numbers
Getty
Boasting 55,000-square-feet of living space, the White House has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases and three elevators, all spread across six floors.
02of 21A Pretty ParcelGettyA house that big calls for a lot of land — the White House fence encloses 18.7 acres.
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A Pretty Parcel
A house that big calls for a lot of land — the White House fence encloses 18.7 acres.
03of 21A Fresh CoatDrew Angerer/GettyIf you set out to paint the outside surface of the White House, you’d need at least 570 gallons of paint, according to the White House Historical Association.
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A Fresh Coat
Drew Angerer/Getty
If you set out to paint the outside surface of the White House, you’d need at least 570 gallons of paint, according to the White House Historical Association.
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An International Influence
The Print Collector via Getty
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The First President in Residence
In fact, Washington never even stepped foot inside the finished. White House, as construction finished in 1800, and Washington died in 1799. President John Adams, seen here, was the first president to live in the White House after it was completed.
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Who Built the White House?
The White House.
“The government did not own slaves, but officials did hire out enslaved laborers from their owners,” according to White House records, many of whom were trained on the spot to do the work of brickmakers, carpenters and quarrymen. Enslaved people also did much of the labor on the U.S. Capitol building and other government buildings in Washington, D.C.
07of 21A Common MisconceptionGettyMany believe that the White House was painted white to cover burn marks from when the British set fire to the building in 1814 (during the War of 1812), but this is incorrect — the building was first painted white in 1798 using a lime-based whitewash.This was done “to protect the exterior stone from moisture and cracking during winter freezes,” according to the Historical Association.
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A Common Misconception
Many believe that the White House was painted white to cover burn marks from when the British set fire to the building in 1814 (during the War of 1812), but this is incorrect — the building was first painted white in 1798 using a lime-based whitewash.
This was done “to protect the exterior stone from moisture and cracking during winter freezes,” according to the Historical Association.
08of 21Out of the AshesOnly one item was saved from the 1814 fire: a portrait of George Washington, which still hangs inside today.First Lady Dolley Madison — who lived in the White House at the time — refused to leave the burning building until the portrait was accounted for.
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Out of the Ashes
Only one item was saved from the 1814 fire: a portrait of George Washington, which still hangs inside today.
First Lady Dolley Madison — who lived in the White House at the time — refused to leave the burning building until the portrait was accounted for.
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History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty
The White House has had many names over the years — including the “President’s House” and the “Executive Mansion” — but it has exclusively been called the White House since 1901, when President Theodore Roosevelt decided the unique name would help distinguish it from other government buildings.
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The Origin of the Oval
A fire in that wing broke out on Christmas Eve in 1929, damaging much of the structure and its furnishings.
11of 21Creating a CustomGeorge Rinhart/Corbis/GettyTaft was also the first president to ever use the Oval Office as his official workplace, and all presidents have since followed his lead.
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Creating a Custom
George Rinhart/Corbis/Getty
Taft was also the first president to ever use the Oval Office as his official workplace, and all presidents have since followed his lead.
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Wartime Lawn Care
The Wilson family also stopped entertaining at the White House and worked to raise money for the war effort through various public programs in an effort to be “a model American family.”
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Presidential Additions
Getty (2)
14of 21Making It AccessiblePresident Franklin Roosevelt in Oval Office.GettyThe White House first became equipped with accessibility features like ramps and elevators when Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office, as he suffered from polio and used a wheelchair in private.
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Making It Accessible
President Franklin Roosevelt in Oval Office.Getty
The White House first became equipped with accessibility features like ramps and elevators when Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office, as he suffered from polio and used a wheelchair in private.
15of 21Who Died Inside?Getty (2)Ten people have died in the White House, including two presidents (William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor) and three first ladies (Letitia Tyler, Caroline Harrison and Ellen Wilson). Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s son, also died there in 1862.
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Who Died Inside?
Ten people have died in the White House, including two presidents (William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor) and three first ladies (Letitia Tyler, Caroline Harrison and Ellen Wilson). Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s son, also died there in 1862.
16of 21Haunting the HallsGettyMany have claimed that the ghost of Abraham Lincoln haunts the White House, with sightings taking place in the Lincoln Bedroom and Yellow Oval, specifically.White House doorman Jerry Smith was the first to report a sighting to a newspaper in 1903. First Lady Grace Coolidge, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands are three notable figures who have also claimed to have seen Lincoln’s ghost.
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Haunting the Halls
Many have claimed that the ghost of Abraham Lincoln haunts the White House, with sightings taking place in the Lincoln Bedroom and Yellow Oval, specifically.
White House doorman Jerry Smith was the first to report a sighting to a newspaper in 1903. First Lady Grace Coolidge, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands are three notable figures who have also claimed to have seen Lincoln’s ghost.
17of 21White House WeddingsGettyEighteen weddings have taken place on the White House grounds, the first of which occurred in 1812, when Dolley Madison’s sister, Lucy Payne Washington, married Thomas Todd on the State Floor. Most of the other weddings that took place were for people in the president’s family — most often their children.For example, Tricia Nixon, President Richard Nixon’s daughter, is seen here marrying Edward Finch Cox in the Rose Garden.The White House Historical Association hasa full listof all the weddings that have taken place.
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White House Weddings
Eighteen weddings have taken place on the White House grounds, the first of which occurred in 1812, when Dolley Madison’s sister, Lucy Payne Washington, married Thomas Todd on the State Floor. Most of the other weddings that took place were for people in the president’s family — most often their children.
For example, Tricia Nixon, President Richard Nixon’s daughter, is seen here marrying Edward Finch Cox in the Rose Garden.
The White House Historical Association hasa full listof all the weddings that have taken place.
18of 21The Tenant-in-ChiefGettyThe president makes a salary, and with that in mind, they receive a bill every month for their stay in the White House.They don’t have to pay rent, but they are charged for meals, toiletries, some clothing and household items, private events and staffing for those events.
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The Tenant-in-Chief
The president makes a salary, and with that in mind, they receive a bill every month for their stay in the White House.
They don’t have to pay rent, but they are charged for meals, toiletries, some clothing and household items, private events and staffing for those events.
19of 21The First Spooky SeasonNICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/GettyThe White House was decorated for Halloween for the first time in 1958.First Lady Mamie Eisenhower helped put the festive decorations up both indoors and outdoors, then she hosted a lunch for the wives of staff members in the State Dining Room.
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The First Spooky Season
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty
The White House was decorated for Halloween for the first time in 1958.
First Lady Mamie Eisenhower helped put the festive decorations up both indoors and outdoors, then she hosted a lunch for the wives of staff members in the State Dining Room.
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Christmas Tree Count
21of 21A Home for HoopsPresident Obama Play Basketball With Wounded Soldiers.GettyThe White House tennis court was first built in 1902, and was moved to another location during Taft’s renovation of the West Wing.The court was altered again when PresidentBarack Obamacame into office, modifying it to allow for basketball as well as tennis.
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A Home for Hoops
President Obama Play Basketball With Wounded Soldiers.Getty
The White House tennis court was first built in 1902, and was moved to another location during Taft’s renovation of the West Wing.
The court was altered again when PresidentBarack Obamacame into office, modifying it to allow for basketball as well as tennis.
source: people.com
