The White House

The White House stands at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, DC, between Lafayette Square to the north and the Ellipse to the south. It has been the home and office of every US president since John Adams moved in in 1800.

The building was designed by the Irish-born architect James Hoban, whose plan won a public competition in 1792, and construction ran from 1792 to 1800. British troops set fire to it in 1814 during the War of 1812, and Hoban oversaw the rebuilding. The South Portico was added in 1824 and the North Portico around 1829 to 1830. The West Wing, home of the Oval Office, was built in 1902, and the East Wing, first built in 1902 as a guest entrance, was enlarged with a second floor in 1942 and demolished in October 2025 to make way for a planned ballroom, still under construction as of 2026. Between 1949 and 1952 the interior was gutted and rebuilt inside the original walls with a steel frame.

The Executive Residence is a neoclassical building of Aquia Creek sandstone painted white. The public state rooms on the ground and State floors include the East Room, the Green, Blue and Red Rooms, and the State Dining Room. The grounds, about 7 hectares, include the Rose Garden and the South Lawn. The President's Park around it, managed by the National Park Service, includes the White House Visitor Center on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Public tours are free but must be requested in advance through a member of Congress for US citizens, or through the visitor's embassy in Washington for foreign nationals. Tours are subject to security screening and can be cancelled at short notice. The White House Visitor Center is open to everyone without a ticket.