Who Built the White House?

The White House is undeniably one of the most iconic structures in the world. Its significance lies in the fact that it is the residence and the workplace of the most powerful person on earth, the President of the United States. The rich history of the structure bestows it with another dimension which fascinates and intrigues all.

Everybody is aware of the basic facts regarding it but do you know who exactly built the White House, why was it built the second time and who was the architect behind its design? Explore to find out more!

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Soon after George Washington took charge as the first President of the United States, the plans for the construction of an official residence for him along the Potomac River were shaped. As the search for the right builder for the structure began, several designs from acclaimed architects were received. However, it was the Irish-born architect James Hoban’s idea, inspired from an Anglo-Irish villa in Dublin named the Leinster House, which won the competition.

(Image Courtesy: Lovin Dublin)

After the cornerstone was laid on 13 October 1792, it took about eight years to turn the design into reality. Though the construction of the building wasn’t complete at the time, John Adams, the second President of the United States and his wife Abigail moved into the White House on 1 November 1800 to become its first residents.

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However, a dark day soon emerged in 1814 when the British army burnt the building and the city to the ground and left it in rubbles. Though it was proposed to move the capital to another town, Hoban the architect who built the White House the first time was once again contracted to construct the building the second time and bring the edifice to its original glory. The reconstruction took 4 years from 1814 to 1818.

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The question as to who physically built the White House has been shredded in controversy. Besides European immigrants, African-American slaves were recruited to meet the requirement of the labor needed for the construction. It has been concluded that slaves were an intricate part of almost every part of the structure.

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Not just that, explore some interesting facts about the White House that not many are aware of:

#1. The White House, which is the only private residence of a head of state that can be toured free of charge, is immensely popular as 30,000 tourists throng it every week.

#2. Though George Washington picked out the site of the White House, he remains to be the only President in the US history to have never lived there.

#3. When FDR, who was paralyzed from the waist down, took charge of the office, accessible elevators and ramps had to be put it. It made the White House among the first wheelchair-friendly government buildings.

#4. The building came to be referred to as the White House only after 1901, and it has been known by different names in the past, such as President’s Palace, President’s House, and Executive Mansion.

#5. The basement of the White House is a mini mall in itself with a flower shop, dentist office, Carpenter store and more stores.

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