White House

White House, official home of the president of the United States, in Washington, D.C. It was designed in the manner of an 18th-century English gentleman's country house by James Hoban (1792). John Adams was the first president to live there. It was severely damaged by the British in 1814, but rebuilt and extended (and painted white) by 1818. In 1824 Hoban added the semicircular south portico. The grounds were landscaped in 1850 by Andrew Downing. Major renovations, including the addition of the executive office building, were carried out in the early 20th century by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White. From 1948 onward the building was extensively rebuilt.

See also: President of the United States.