Hotel Near White House White House History White House Tours White House Facts

The White House in Washington DC

The White House is not far from our house. In fact, it’s less than two miles from our Arlington, Virginia hotel.

Take a tour and you’ll come away with some rather amazing facts about the White House, which is has been the home to U.S. presidents for more than two centuries.

White House History.

Construction of the White House, which began in 1792, was over seen by President George Washington but he never got an opportunity to live in it. The White House was completed in 1800 and the first occupants were President John Adams and his wife, Abigail. Many changes have been made to the Executive Mansion since then, some deliberate, others not. It survived a fire started by the British during the war of 1812 and another fire in 1929 when Herbert Hoover was in office. During President Harry Truman’s term, everything but the third floor was gutted and renovated. The only thing that hasn’t changed in more than 200 years is the exterior stone walls. For more information, visit http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/glimpse/top.html.  [Top]

White House Tours.

The White House is the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public and free of charge. Public tours are available for groups of 10 or more. However, requests must be submitted six months in advance through your U.S. Representative. These tours are self-guided and are scheduled on a first come, first served basis about 30 days in advance of your requested date. Tours are limited so it’s best to get your request in as soon as possible. For more information, call the 24-hour line at 202-456-7041 or visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/tours/  [Top]

White House Facts

• The White House is 168’ long
• The White House is 85’, 6” wide without porticoes and 152’ wide with porticoes
• The overall height of the White House is 70’ on the south and 60’, 4” on the north
• It takes 300 gallons of white paint to cover the exterior of just the residence portion of the White House
• The White House sits on 18 acres of land
• The White House, which has 132 rooms, features 16 family-guest rooms, a main kitchen, a family kitchen, and 35 bathrooms
• There are 6 floors, covering about 55,000 square feet.

For more White House facts, visit http://www.whitehousehistory.org/06/subs/06_b.html.  [Top]