The White House
The official residence and office of the U.S. president since 1800. Photograph the north façade from Lafayette Square or the south façade from the Ellipse. Tours of the interior must be booked months in advance.
The White House stands at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Irish-born architect James Hoban designed it. John Adams was the first president to live there, in 1800. It was burned by British forces in 1814, then rebuilt and painted white. The West Wing, completed in 1901, became the president's office. Visitors usually view the exterior from two directions. The north side can be seen from Lafayette Square on Pennsylvania Avenue, about 100 meters from the north façade. This is the closest vantage point, and protesters and street performers often gather here. On the south side, the Ellipse and Constitution Avenue offer views of the curved colonnade and fountains of the south façade. They are farther away but have a classic angle, and the national Christmas tree is lit here every December. For interior tours, American citizens request a visit through their congressional representative. Foreign visitors must submit an application through their country's embassy in the United States 21 days to 3 months in advance. Tours are free and include the East Room, Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room and State Dining Room on the ground floor, from Tuesday to Saturday mornings. Chinese visitors have a low success rate, and most people only see the exterior. The White House Visitor Center (1450 Pennsylvania Ave., free) has interactive exhibits and a model of the president's office, and is worth 30 minutes. You can also admire the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to the west, built in French Second Empire style, and the Treasury Department building to the east. The gardens open to the public for one weekend each in spring and autumn. Security is strict, drones are banned over the square, and roads may be temporarily closed when the presidential motorcade enters or exits. Getting there: McPherson Square or Farragut West Metro station is a 5-minute walk. From the South Lawn of the White House, it is a 15-minute walk to the Washington Monument.
Opening hours
Exterior open all day; visitor center 07:30–16:00; interior tours Tue–Sat mornings by reservation
Nearby sights
- National Museum of Women in the Arts
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Washington Monument
- National World War II Memorial
- National Museum of American History
- Ford's Theatre
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- National Museum of Natural History