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The White House ruins after the fire of August 24, 1814, depicted in a watercolor painting by George Munger, is now on display at the White House Major General Robert Ross, the British commander who led the burning of Washington. After burning the Capitol, the British turned northwest up Pennsylvania Avenue toward the White House
The White House ruins after the fire of August 24, 1814 Jefferson and Latrobe's West Wing Colonnade, in this 19th-century engraved view, is now the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. On Saturday, November 1, 1800, John Adams became the first president to take residence in the building. [27]
On December 24, 1929, the West Wing was significantly damaged by an electrical fire. [2] This four-alarm fire was the most destructive to strike the White House since the Burning of Washington 115 years earlier. One hundred and thirty firefighters, over nineteen engine companies, and four truck companies were needed to extinguish the blaze.
The first executive offices were constructed between 1799 and 1820 on the former site of the Washington Jockey Club, flanking the White House. [6] In 1869, following the Civil War, Congress appointed a commission to select a site and submit plan and cost estimates for a new State Department Building, with possible arrangements to house the War and Navy departments.
The Public Buildings Administration was asked to investigate the condition of the White House, but no action was taken until January 1948. After the commissioner of the Public Buildings Administration, which had responsibility for the White House, noticed the Blue Room chandelier swaying overhead during another crowded reception, he and the White House Architect conducted their own on-site ...
The White House's Art collection was established by an Act of Congress in 1961 and grew extensively during the Kennedy Administration. [5] It now includes more than 65,000 objects if individual items are catalogued. [6]
Enjoy a classic game of Hearts and watch out for the Queen of Spades!
The President's House. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 1986. ISBN 0-912308-28-1. Seale, William, The White House: The History of an American Idea. White House Historical Association: 1992, 2001. ISBN 0-912308-85-0. West, J.B. with Mary Lynn Kotz. Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies.