The White House is the official home of the President of the United States. It has been the home of every president since the second, John Adams. It's is located on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest. The building was partially burned down during the War of 1812 by the British but was rebuilt almost immediately. Over the years several Presidents have expanded and improved the White House, making it into the expansive building it is today.
Changes Over The Years
1800:John Adams: Was the first President to live in the White House.
1801:Thomas Jefferson: Expanded the building to included two colonnades designed to hide stables.
1814: The White House was burned down by the British army in the Burning of Washington. It was rebuilt soon after.
1817: James Monroe moves into the partially reconstructed White House.
1824: Southern Portico was added.
1829: Northern Portico was added.
1901: Due to space issues, Teddy Roosevelt moves all work offices to the new West Wing.
1909: Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and added the first Oval Office.
1927: Third floor attic converted to rooms.
1942: East Wing constructed as a bomb shelter for the President during World War II. Would eventually become an area for social gatherings.
1948: Harry Truman replaces the failing wooden beams of the White House with a new steel framework.
September 11th Attacks
One of the hijacked planes during the September 11th attacks was heading for
Washington D.C., supposedly to crash into the White House. However, the plane ended up crashing in Pennsylvania when some of the passengers and flight crew stormed the cockpit and overthrew the hijackers. No one on board survived.
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