Work on the house started in 1792. At that time, the building was called by names such as the President’s Palace or the Executive Mansion. Its walls were not yet white, but grayish sandstone.
George Washington supervised the building project. Yet he and his wife, Martha, never lived there. The house was completed long after he left office in 1797.
America's second president, John Adams, and his wife, Abigail, were the first to live in the new home. They moved in on November 1, 1800. The inside of the house was still not completed. Abigail Adams was known to have complained about the house’s condition.
Perhaps luckily for her, John and Abigail Adams lived in the president’s house for only four months. John Adams lost re-election to Thomas Jefferson that autumn.
During the following eight years, Jefferson tried to finish work on the home. So did the next president, James Madison.
In 1814, British forces invaded Washington. They burned the president’s home. President Madison's wife, Dolley, tried to save valuable objects from the fire as she fled.
Some say she rescued a painting of George Washington. However, some historians question that story.
One way or another, the portrait survived. It is perhaps one of the most well-known images of George Washington. The picture —painted by Gilbert Stuart — hangs in the White House to this day.
Here is British Prime Minister David Cameron, talking about the fire of 1814.
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2013-11-25
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