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The Most Famous House in the US





On this Presidents' Day, I thought it might be fun to give a run down of some little known facts about the most famous house in the United States:


The White House!


Besides the fact the White House has five full-time chefs, a tennis court, swimming pool, and bowling lane:


Do you know these 4 Facts?






#1: Do you know how many rooms are in the White House?


Illustration of White House, retrieved from Pixabay


132 Rooms, 32 Bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 7 staircases & 3 elevators all on 6 floors






#2: Do you know who the first President was to live in the White House?


Photograph by WH Photog Michael Geissinger of John Adams' blessing, which is engraved in the mantel of the State Dining Room (1968)

We all know that George Washington was the 1st President of the United States, but John Adams was actually the 1st president to live in the White House.


During George Washington's presidency, he lived in three different houses in two capital cities- 2 homes in NY and 1 home in Philadelphia. After listening to the people, Washington agreed that the distance to the capital should be even for both Northern and Southern states, so he decided the capital of the new US would be located on land between Maryland and Virginia. He resigned before construction was complete.


#3: Do you know who named the home the 'White House'?


At various times in history, the White House has been known as the "President's Palace, the "President's House", and the "Executive Mansion".

Theodore Roosevelt's original Executive Office Building, circa 1908 (Library of Congress)

President Theodore Roosevelt gave the White House its official title in 1901.

He believed that there needed to be a distinction between the official residence of the POTUS and every other 'executive mansion' designed for each states governor.






#4: Do you know why the 'White House' is white?


Close-up image of burn marks on the walls of the White House. White House Collection/White House Historical Association

You might have once heard the story that the white paint was used to cover the burn marks caused by the British in 1814; however, the building was first made white with lime-based whitewash in 1798, as a means of protecting the stone from freezing. It was meant to wear off leaving cracks and crevices filled, but was never allowed to weather and was refreshed periodically until it was last painted with white lead paint in 1818. By that time, it had been a decade or more that people started calling it "The White House'.






Let me end this weeks blog post with one of my favorite quotes about real estate:




 

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