The White House is the official home of the U.S. president in Washington, D.C. located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Together with the landscaped grounds it occupies 1600 hectares (18 acres) of land. It is the oldest building in the capital and has been the home of every U.S. president since John Adams. A public competition to choose a suitable design for a presidential residence was held in 1791. Competitors included Thomas Jefferson, among others. James Hoban, and Irish-American architect from Philadelphia won the commission and a $500 dollar prize. His plan for the building was a Georgian mansion in the Palladian style, like those constructed for 18th century English gentleman’s country homes. The plan included three floors and more than 100 rooms, to be built in pale gray sandstone. The building cornerstone was laid on October 13, 1792. By 1800, President John Adams and his wife were installed as the first occupants. The building was first nicknamed the White House around 1809, because of the striking contrast of the sandstone to the surrounding red brick buildings. President Theodore Roosevelt made the name official in 1902.

After extensive damages incurred during the British invasion of 1814, the White House was rebuilt under Hoban’s direction. President James Monroe moved in during 1817. During the reconstruction, Hoban added east and west terraces to the building’s flanks. A semicircular south portico and a colonnaded north portico were added in the 1820’s. The 19th century saw few changes in the building beyond interior redecoration and installations of modern conveniences.

Changes during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt included the conversion of second floor presidential office to family living quarters and the construction of the West Wing, providing additional office staff space. Other office space was added in 1942 with the East Wing construction. Both of these additions are connected to the main building through the west and east terraces respectively. During Harry Truman’s presidency, around 1948, the main building structure was found to be in need of great repair. Over the next four years, the entire interior of the building was overhauled, only the original exterior outer walls were left untouched. Jacqueline Kennedy made the last major changes during the 1960’s, adding historic and artistic items to the interior decor.