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Table of Contents
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the United States President. Aside from being one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, it is also the only official residence of a head of state open to the public for free. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington D.C., the mansion has housed 43 U.S. presidents.
See the fact file below for more information on the White House or alternatively, you can download our 25-page White House worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
History Behind the White House
- After the inauguration of President George Washington in 1789, plans to build an official President’s House took shape. James Hoban, an Irish-born architect won the design contest. The future president’s house was modeled after the Leinster House, an Anglo-Irish villa in Dublin.
- On October 13, 1792, the cornerstone was laid. Enslaved and freed Africans along with European immigrants constructed the president’s double-storey house.
- After eight years, the $232,372 President’s House was completed. On November 1, 1800, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail Adams, were the first to live in the mansion. A year before it was finished, George Washington died.
- In 1805, President Thomas Jefferson held the first inaugural open house. He also opened the house to the public, especially on the 4th of July and New Year’s Day. Jefferson also had water closets installed with the help of architect Benjamin Latrobe.
- In August 1814, the President’s House was burned to the ground after a British attack. Hoban was called back to restructure the house and by 1817, President James Madison added French furniture inside.
- In 1824 and 1829, President John Quincy Adams added the South and North Porticoes of the mansion. He also initiated the first flower garden. The house got electricity in 1891 on the request of President Benjamin Harrison.
- By 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt officially named the President’s House, President’s Palace and Executive Mansion as the White House. After a year, Roosevelt added the West Wing, replacing the greenhouses.
- In 1909, President William Howard Taft, with the design of architect Nathan Wyeth, expanded the executive wing making it the Oval Office, which became the President’s official workspace.
- During President Herbert Hoover’s administration in 1929, a fire damaged the executive wing, which led to further renovation.
- When Franklin D. Roosevelt became president, he hired architect Eric Gugler to add a swimming pool on the west terrace to help with his polio therapy. By 1942, a new East Wing was built.
- When President Richard Nixon turned the swimming pool area into a press briefing room in 1970, President Gerald Ford brought it back five years later.
- In 1952, President Harry Truman made tremendous renovations from 1902 installations up to decorating the second and third floors of the White House.
- It was during President Jimmy Carter’s term when the first computer was installed in the White House. President George H.W. Bush oversaw the debut of the Internet in 1992.
- Aside from housing the first family, it also kept unusual pets including Wilson’s sheep, Lincoln’s goats, Kennedy’s ponies, Roosevelt’s snakes, Coolidge’s lions and raccoons, and Hoover’s alligators.
The White House’s Structure
- After many renovations, the White House consists of 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircase and 3 elevators.
- In order to cover the outside surface, it requires 570 gallons of paint.
- The Executive Residence holds the East Room, Green Room, Red Room, Blue Room, State Dining Room, Cross, Hall, family Dining Room, Entrance Hall, and the Grand Staircase. On the second floor, one can find the Yellow Oval Room, Master Bedroom, President’s Dining Room, East and West Sitting Halls, the Treaty Room, Queens’ Bedroom and Lincoln Bedroom.
- The Oval Office, or the President’s Office, is located in the West Wing along with the employees’ rooms. In addition, the Cabinet Room, White House Situation Room, James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, and Roosevelt Room are also situated in the West Wing.
White House Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about White House across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use White House worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the White House which is the official residence and workplace of the United States President. Aside from being one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, it is also the only official residence of a head of state open to the public for free. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington D.C., the mansion has housed 43 U.S. presidents.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- White House Facts
- Through the Years
- White House Residents
- Presidential Facts
- White House First
- Presidential House in Numbers
- Presidents and First Ladies
- White House Mapping
- Official Residences
- In Popular Culture
- Building the White House
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Link will appear as White House Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, May 8, 2018
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.