White House

The White House is the official residence for the President of the United States of America. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., the nation’s capital. The main building is 175 feet long and 85 feet wide. Connected to the main building are the East and West wings. The White House also is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. Over 1½ million people visit it each year. Although some rooms are closed to the public, many on the first floor are open for the public to see.

The White House has gone through two different buildings. The original was built in 1792 and was designed by James Hoban. He was chosen because he had won a public architecture contest. On August 4, 1814 the British burned down the original building, forcing President James Madison to flee. The White House was rebuilt in 1817 and was vastly renovated between 1948 and 1952.

Sites for further Information

    "A White House History"
    http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/tour/html/index.html or try http://www.whitehouse.gov

   "The Great American Web Site"
    http://www.uncle-sam.com/

Back to the North America page!