Casa Bianca
واشنطن
The White House is the home and office of the President of the United States. Since 1800 every president has lived there except George Washington.
A design contest
In 1791 George Washington chose the land for the President's house. The next year a contest was held for the design. James Hoban, an architect from Europe, won. The first stone was laid in October of that same year.
Who built it
The stone came from a quarry on the banks of a small river in Virginia, and traveled by boat. Enslaved people, free workers and stonecutters from Europe worked on the site. In November 1800 John Adams moved in, even though much was still missing.
A name that came late
In documents it was called the President's House or the Executive Mansion. From the early 1800s people called it the White House, but the name became official only in 1901. That year President Theodore Roosevelt had it written on all official documents.
The park and the church
In front of the house is a park with trees. On the north side there is a church with a bell tower, designed by Benjamin Latrobe. Officers watch over the park and the sidewalks around it: follow their instructions.
