Name: A look at the history of the White House
Uploaded: 2025-10-26T14:53:48.298Z
Duration: 3 min 6 s
Description: Since our second president, John Adams, inhabited the White House, it has been burned by British troops, reconstructed, expanded, and gut-renovated. Mo Rocca looks at the history of a cherished American landmark.

Since our second president, John Adams, inhabited the White House, it has been burned by British troops, reconstructed, expanded, and gut-renovated. Mo Rocca looks at the history of a cherished American landmark.

Washington

The White House, with a history spanning over two centuries, has undergone numerous architectural changes and witnessed significant historical events. Originally designed by James Hoban and first inhabited by President John Adams, the building has survived events such as the burning by British forces during the War of 1812 and major structural renovations, including the addition of the East and West Wings and the Oval Office.

Recent plans include a significant new expansion: a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, reportedly to be funded by private donations. This proposed addition, which would require the removal of the East Wing, has sparked public debate, continuing the tradition of scrutiny over changes to what is regarded as the 'people's house.'

A look at the history of the White House

In its 225-year history, the White House has seen a lot. If these walls could talk, they'd have plenty to say. As an entire arm, the East Wing has been torn off to make room for President Trump's ballroom. Change has always been a part of the White House's story. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy said as much during her famed televised tour of the mansion in 1962. This house will always grow and should. In 1792, George Washington chose Irish-born James Hoban's simple yet elegant design in a competition that included this entry by Thomas Jefferson. Our second president, John Adams, became the first chief executive to live there. In the mantle of the State Dining Room, Adams' words are inscribed. I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof. But only 14 years later, the British set fire to it during the War of 1812. In 2014, then-curator William Allman showed me the remaining burn marks. Scorching that would have happened when flames were drawn out through open windows and doors and licked up around the tops of the stones. It was reconstructed in just three years. In 1889, First Lady Caroline Harrison complained that the rats have nearly taken the building. She also proposed a major expansion. But her grandiose vision never got past the drawing board. East and west wings were added in 1902. Seven years later, the rotund William Howard Taft added the Oval Office. By 1948, the White House was in danger of collapsing. It would have been cheaper to level the place and rebuild it. But President Harry Truman decided that preserving the exterior walls was crucial to the country's sense of continuity. A blown-up White House is only okay in the movies. Instead, the interior was entirely gutted. Truman also added a balcony, an alteration which provoked an outcry. The current alteration is much more significant. The planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom is nearly double the size of the main house. The president himself has estimated it will cost $300 million, to be paid for, he says, by private donations. This is all despite his promise that the new construction would not interfere with the current building. The White House isn't a private home, nor is it just some government building. It's the people's house. No surprise, any major change will have people asking a lot of questions.

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