Collection An Artist Visits the White House Past
From its construction in 1792, until the 1902 renovation that shaped the modern identity and functions of the interior of the White...
Have you ever wondered...
Why is the White House white?
White paint has nothing to do with covering the burning of the house by the British in 1814, although every schoolchild is likely to have heard the story that way. The building was first made white with lime-based whitewash in 1798, when its walls were finished, simply as a means of protecting the porous stone from freezing. Congressman Abijah Bigelow wrote to a colleague on March 18, 1812 (three months before the United States entered war with Great Britain):
"There is much trouble at the White House, as we call it, I mean the President's" (quoted in W. B. Bryan, "The Name White House," Records of the Columbia Historical Society 34-35 [1932]: 308).
Close-up image of burn marks on the walls of the White House.
White House Collection/White House Historical AssociationMeant to wear off for the most part, leaving cracks and crevices filled, the whitewash was never allowed to weather, but was refreshed periodically until the structure at last was painted with white lead paint in 1818. By that time it had for more than a decade been known as "The White House." The name, though in common use, remained a nickname until October 1901, when Theodore Roosevelt made it official.
James Hoban's North Elevation, 1793.
The Maryland Historical SocietyFeatured Questions
You Might Also Like
-
-
Collection The President's Neighborhood
Since the White House was first occupied by President John Adams in 1800, influential people and organizations—or those who hoped to...
-
Collection President Truman's Renovation
During the administration of President Harry S. Truman, the White House underwent a renovation and expansion so extensive, it changed...
-
Collection Italy in the White House
Long before the emergence of the United States and Italy as nations, close connections between our two peoples influenced political...
-
Collection James Hoban: Architect of the White House
James Hoban's life is a memorable Irish-American success story. In his boyhood he learned the craft of carpenter and wheelwright,...
-
Collection Tudor Place
-
Bio Barack Obama
When Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, he became the first African American to hold the office. The framers of t...
-
Comfort in My Retirement
They have been four years of incessant labour and anxiety and of great responsibility. I am heartily rejoiced that my...
-
The Corcoran Mansion
William Wilson Corcoran—banker, philanthropist, and patron of the arts—resided in picturesque splendor on the northwest corner of Lafayette Park...
-
Inviting Musicians to the White House
Tin Pan Alley and the American musical theater were in a great state of verve and vitality in the period...
-
The President's Park
A recent magazine article described the garden of the White House, “known as the President’s Park,” as covering 82 acres and en...
-
Photographs of the Lincoln White House
Abraham Lincoln assumed the office of president of the United States on March 4, 1861, an innovative period for photography. He was...
