How Big is the White House?

The dimensions of the White House are as follows. The length is 168 feet (51.2 meters). The width is 152 feet with the porticoes. Without the porticoes it is 85 feet 6 inches (26.1 meters). The height is 60 ft 4 inches on the north. On the south it is 70 feet. The fence of the White House covers 18 acres.

Rooms

There is a family kitchen, a diet kitchen, a main kitchen and 35 bathrooms. There are 16 family rooms. In total there are 132 rooms. The exterior of the residential portion requires 300 gallons of paint. The ground floor has ten rooms, 6 comfort rooms and the main corridor. The State Floor has an entrance hall, the main corridor and 8 rooms.

At the second floor is a restroom, half a dozen bathrooms, a main corridor and 16 rooms. The third floor has 9 bathrooms, 20 rooms and the main corridor. The dimensions of the White House mean it occupies 55,000 square feet.

Construction and Design

The structure was designed by James Hoban, an Irish-American. His design was inspired by James Gibbs’ “Book of Architecture”. The original design of the presidential home was basic. The porticoes and pavilions were built later. These pavilions and porticoes were created by Ben Latrobe who was responsible for the creation of the US Capitol.

The structure was originally constructed from 1792 to 1800. The original construction was done by slave and paid laborers. During the War of 1812, it was burned by the British. From 1815 to 1817, it was reconstructed.

Residence for the President

John Adams, second president of the US, was the first to live there. The Adams decided to live in the house in 1800 after living in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was serving as the US capital while Washington DC was being constructed.

Even as the Adams family moved in, construction was not wholly complete. Construction ended around 1801-1809, during the administration of President Jefferson.

Renovations and Innovations

The 1950s saw the addition of a stove; before, all food in the White House were prepared in fireplaces. The first telephone was installed during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881). It was not until the term of Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) that electricity was implemented.

The dimensions of the White House were expanded during the Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt presidency. During his term, the West wing was included. In 1909, President William Howard Taft redesigned the Presidential office, turning it into the Oval Office.