Why is the U.S. Presidential Building called the White House? Why wasn't the first president to stay in Washington? What is its internal structure? How much do you know about the only official residence of a head of state in the world that is regularly open to the public?
The White House is a white neoclassical style sandstone building located in Washington, D.C., and is the residence and office of the President of the United States. Also known as the Presidential Building, the Presidential Palace, it is the only official residence of the head of state in the world that is regularly open to the public. This sprawling building was completed in 1800 and was not white at the beginning of its construction. But in 1812, during the Anglo-American War, British troops occupied washington city and burned buildings such as the U.S. Capitol and the Presidential Palace. Later, in order to hide the traces of the fire, the reddish-brown stone wall of the presidential residence was painted white in 1814. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt officially named it the "White House." On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress passed legislation to establish a permanent capital of the United States on the banks of the Potomac River and authorized then-U.S. President George Washington to choose the address. In October 1792, the White House officially laid the foundation stone, and the architect Hoban was responsible for directing the construction of the site. He was extremely demanding on construction, and some of the building materials he selected came from famous sources in the United States, and he even built three brick kilns in the north lawn of the White House today for the use of the Capitol and the White House, which made the construction period drag on for a long time. So much so that when Washington, the first president of the United States, left office, the outline of the official residence had just been completed. On November 1, 1800, a few months before the second president of the United States, John Adams, left office, the White House was finally inaugurated, so John Adams became the first president to enter the White House.
The White House covers an area of about 73,000 square meters and consists of the main building and three parts of the east and west wings. The east wing has two floors, the second floor is where the first lady and her employees work. The first floor is the visitor entrance to the White House, while the president's oval office and press briefing room are arranged in the west wing. And opposite the office is the president's exclusive garden, where Kennedy often plays with his children in his spare time, and there are many good memories that belong to them.
The east and west wings are connected by the main building, and there are five important rooms on the National Floor, which is entered through the main entrance. From west to east, the State Banquet Room, the Red Room, the Blue Room, the Green Room and the East Room are listed. The State Room houses a monroe-era thirteen-foot table that can accommodate 130 guests. The Red Room, the first ladies' favorite room, was furnished in the early 1830s style, with an eighteenth-century french music clock on a marble fireplace, which was given to the President of France in 1952. The Blue Room, imbued with French royal style, was an important venue for entertaining dignitaries and foreign envoys, including the first Qing Chinese envoy to visit in 1878. The south courtyard lawn opposite the blue room is where the president and vips often wave their faces to the public, and a magnolia planted by Jackson in honor of his deceased wife also thrives on the lawn of the south courtyard. The Green Room next to the Blue Room is a small reception room that serves different purposes at different times.
During Jefferson's time, it was his private dining room. During Monroe's time, this was his playing room. The East Room is the largest room in the White House, where many important events in history have taken place. The bodies of seven presidents have been parked here, the weddings of many of the president's daughters have been held, and above the national floor is where the president and his family live and rest.
The White House has provided a home for generations of presidents and has witnessed many highlight moments in American history. But George Washington's vision of the mansion was that the master of the work here was a servant of the state. Has this Spirit of the White House been perpetuated in the moment when COVID-19 has taken away and 190,000 Americans have been killed?