The White House has three main levels: the Ground Floor, State Floor and Second Floor. The East Wing holds the first lady's office, the social secretary's office, and the Graphics and Calligraphy Office (though tour participants don't see any of these). The Cabinet Room is there too, with its huge mahogany table around which the cabinet secretaries sit to discuss business with the president. So the Situation Room – a 5000-sq-ft complex staffed 24/7 to monitor national and world intelligence information – is in the west. In general, the West Wing is the business side, and the East Wing is the social side. The residence is in the middle, flanked by the East and West Wings. This includes 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases and three elevators (for those who are counting). The White House has 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms. Twenty-sixth president, Theodore Roosevelt is credited with giving the White House its official name in 1901. It was a big job, as all that remained were the exterior walls and interior brickwork. Hoban, incidentally, was hired to supervise the rebuilding. That's not true – it had been white almost from the get-go – but it makes a nice story. Legend has it that after the British burned the building in the War of 1812, the house was restored and painted white to cover the smoke marks, and people began to call it the White House.
The “President's House” was built (and partially rebuilt) in stages between 17. Why is the White House called the White House He modeled the neoclassical-style manor on Leinster House, a mid-18th-century duke's villa in Dublin that still stands and is now used by Ireland's Parliament. Hoban's idea was to make the building simple and conservative, so as not to seem royal, in keeping with the new country's principles. Washington held a national competition to find a new designer. Pierre L'Enfant was the initial architect, but he was fired for insubordination. George Washington picked the site for the White House in 1791. The gift shop is excellent if you're looking for classy souvenirs.Ĭonstruction on the White House began in 1792 © Bau Haus1000/Getty Images History It’s obviously not the same as seeing the real deal firsthand, but the center does do its job very well, giving good history sprinkled with great anecdotes on presidential spouses, kids, pets and dinner preferences (betcha didn’t know President Garfield liked squirrel soup!). Housed in the splendiferous 1932 Patent Search Room of the Department of Commerce Building, it has plenty of artifacts, anecdote-packed information panels and informative multimedia exhibits, including a presentation on the history and lives of the presidential families and an interactive touch-screen tour of the White House. Getting inside the White House can be difficult, so the visitor center is your backup plan. If you do get in, the self-guided walk-through takes about 30 minutes. Capacity is limited, and often official events take precedence over public tours.
Don't take it personally if you don't get accepted. Americans must apply via one of their state's members of Congress non-Americans must ask their country's embassy in Washington, DC, for assistance – in reality, there's only a slim chance that the embassy will be able to help source tickets.Īpplications are taken from 21 days to three months in advance the earlier you request during this time frame the better. Tours are free, but they have to be arranged in advance.
WHITE HOUSE LAYOUT HOW TO
Visiting the White House isn't easy © Rarrarorro / Getty Images How to visit the White House