Plan of the City Intended for the Permanent Seat of the Government of the United States
This reproduction of the 1791 L'Enfant-Ellicott plan for the city of Washington, D.C. was printed by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Office (now the Office of Coast Survey in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in 1887, during President Grover Cleveland's administration. The map sparked renewed interest in LEnfants design for the city including a large executive mansion, called the Presidents House on the map, with a sizable park to the south.
James Hoban, the original architect of the President's House, intended that the space now called the "Green Room" be used as a "Common Dining Room." An 1801 inventory revealed that first residents President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams actually used it as a guest bedchamber. However, the next chief executive, Thomas Jefferson, did serve meals in this room. Jefferson
The White House celebrates many holiday traditions, some of which are historic and others more recent. New arrivals to the Executive Mansion bring unique familial rituals that are often blended with time-tested White House and presidential customs. During the holiday season, the president and first lady participate in public traditions such as receiving a tree for the Blue Room, lighting
The collection of fine art at the White House has evolved and grown over time. The collection began with mostly presidential portraits, commissioned or purchased by Congress, or donated by presidential descendants. In the era before photography, some presidents invited painters to set up studios in the White House to record significant events and paint their likeness. In the late