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13 Facts of the White House (1) Torched by the British (The US burned…
13 Facts of the White House
1) Torched by the British
The US burned Parliament in Canada
Monroe moved in 3 years later
8) Washington Never Lived There
George Washington selected James Hoban's plan but thought it was too simple so added to it.
The White House was given a grand reception room, elegant pilasters, window hoods, and stone swags of oak leaves and flowers. Though George Washington never lived in it he still thought it was beautiful.
4) A Twin in Ireland
There was another house in Ireland that was very similar to the White House. Some believe that Hoban, who was Irish and went to school in that country, based it off that home.
That home is now the Irish Parliament.
11) Additional Monikers
The White House has been called lots of different names, for example, Dolley Madison called it the Presidents Palace.
The name White House's name didn't become official until 1901, when President Theodore Roosevelt finally named it just that.
12) Gingerbread Version
Creating an edible White House has become a Christmas tradition and challenge for the official chefs living at the White House.
80 pounds of gingerbread, 50 pounds of chocolate, and 20 pounds of marzipan were used to make an edible gingerbread White House.
3) Once America's Largest House
A man by the name Pierre Charles L'Enfant wanted the White House to be a big, elaborate palace.
This idea was later discarded and James Hoban and Benjamin Henry Latrobe scratched that idea and it more small and humble. The home was still big for its time yet it was not overly large.
9) FDR Made It Wheelchair Accessible
The White House didn't become wheelchair accessible until Franklin Roosevelt took office. He was paralyzed.
The White House was remodeled to accommodate his wheelchair. He also added a heated indoor swimming pool to help with his therapy.
6) Slaves Helped Build It
The land that is now Washington D.C was part of Virginia and Maryland, where slavery was a huge thing.
African Americans, who were once slaves, were put on the payroll of building the White House, so slaves helped built our Presidents home.
5) Another Twin in France
The White House has been added on to and remodeled many times. Some also believe that the White House was slightly based on a home in France.
One of the men, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, who helped designed the White House was believed to have made a rendition of a home in France, the country he originates from.
13) It Wasn't Always White
The White House is made of gray-colored sandstone and some parts are constructed with red Seneca sandstone
The sandstone walls weren't painted white until the White House was reconstructed after the British fires. Also it takes 570 gallons of white paint to cover the entire White House.
10) Truman Saved It From Collapse
The walls of the White House were weak. Engineers declared the building unsafe and said that it would collapse if not repaired.
President Truman had the interior rooms gutted so that new steel support beams could be installed. During the reconstruction, the Trumans lived across the street at Blair House.
7) European Contributions
We had many different races and people from other countries build the most amazing home in the U.S.
We had Scottish, Irish, and Italians carve out, decorate, and model the White House
2) West Wing Fire
The electrical fire in the White House "gutted" the executive offices.
It took a year and 4 months to repair the offices.