The White House Complex is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. The building contains a total of 132 rooms; it includes living quarters for the president, the presidential family, and staff and public rooms for dinners, concerts, and receptions. In conclusion six floors: two basements, two public floors, and two floors for the First Family.
The presidential apartment is separate from the rest of the mansion, which is open to visitors and public tours as a museum. The complex includes the Executive Residence, the West Wing (the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, and Roosevelt Room), the East Wing (office of the First Lady and White House Social Secretary), and the Old Executive Office Building (offices of the President and Vice President).
The Blue Room has been located above the Diplomatic Reception Room, and this room is always used as a reception room. The room was decorated in blue color during the presidency of Martin Van Buren in 1837, so the new decoration changed the Oval Room to the Blue Room.
The State Dining Room which sits as many as 140 guests is used during formal dinners for visiting heads of state. The White House Library has a collection of 2700 books written by American authors or about American history. It is frequently used for small meetings and tea.
The Green Room has been served different purposes as a "Lodging Room", or a "Dining Room" for Thomas Jefferson, as a "Sitting Room" for James Madison, and as a "Card Room" for Monroe. This room was decorated in different styles by different presidents until the time of Theodore Roosevelt, with many pieces made by the famous New York cabinet maker Duncan Phyfe.
The Red Room has been decorated by different style of furniture. It is one of the four state reception rooms at the White House.
The China Room displays a collection of Chinese porcelain from several different presidents. The Diplomatic Reception Room in the White House serves as an entrance from the South Lawn. The China Room and Diplomatic Reception Room are not part of the White House tour.
The Vermeil Room or the Gold Room has been used as a Display Room, or a Ladies Sitting Room for formal occasions. The room has been decorated in green background and gold silk highlights, and furnished by a table in the Empire style, the gold walls also were covered by the seven First Ladies' portraits.
The East Room is used for different purposes such as dances, award presentations, weddings, funerals, bill-signing ceremonies, press conferences, and generally for large gathering.
The White House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. The White House has been the official residence of all the presidents of the United States with the exception of George Washington.
It was designed by James Hoban, an architect who won a competition organized by President George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. The White House was built between 1792 and 1800, with Georgian style.
When Thomas Jefferson moved into the home in 1801, he decided expanded the building outward, creating two colonnades to hide certain areas as storage, etc.
While James Madison was President from 1809 to 1817, the White House was burned by the British in the War of 1812. Although the fire was put out by a summer thunderstorm, all that remained were the outside. Madison brought of return Hoban to reestablish the mansion, which took three years. It was during this re-construction that the house was painted white.
Construction continued with the addition of the South Portico in 1824 and the North in 1829. Due to crowding inside the executive mansion, the President Theodore Roosevelt move almost all the offices of work to the West Wing constructed in 1901.
In 1909, architect Nathan C. Wyeth extended the office wing adding the well-known oval office. Although used informally for some time. President Theodore Roosevelt was who gave the official name at the building: "The White House". The third-floor attic was converted to living quarters in 1927.
East Wing alterations were completed in 1946 creating additional office space. Between 1948 and 1952, during Harry S. Truman's presidency, the interior of the house was substantially renovated while the Trumans lived at Blair House, right across the street. This renovation included building new foundations and a steel framework to strengthen the original sandstone walls. As a result, the number of rooms was increased from 62 to 132.
Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of President John F. Kennedy, directed a very extensive and historic redecoration of the house. She enlisted the help of Henry Francis du Pont of the Winterthur Museum to assist in collecting artifacts for the home, many of which had once been housed there. Other antiques, fine paintings, and improvements of the Kennedy period were donated to the White House by wealthy donors.
Different periods of the ancient republic and world history were selected as a theme for each room: the Federal style for the Green Room, French Empire for the Blue Room, American Empire for the Red Room, Louis XVI for the Yellow Oval Room, and Victorian for the president's study, renamed the Treaty Room. Restoration Kennedy proved to be in a most authentic White House of more grand stature, which remembered Madison's French taste and Monroe style.
The property is owned by the National Park Service and is part of the President's Park. In 2007, it was ranked second on the American Institute of Architects's List of America's Favorite Architecture.
The excursions to the White House are available for groups of 10 or more people. Petitions should be proposed through one the Member of The Congress and must be accepted to six months in advance. The excursions are available of 7:30-12:30 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday, except the federal holidays.