Designing the White House: 1792-1830

For over 200 years, the White House has stood as a symbol of American leadership. But the White House was not always the President’s House nor was Washington, D.C. the nation’s capital. In 1789, George Washington took the presidential Oath of Office in New York City and for most of their presidencies, George Washington and John Adams lived and worked in Philadelphia while the White House was under construction. When initial White House construction was completed in 1800, the federal government moved to Washington, D.C. and John Adams spent the last few months of his presidency in the new White House. Explore the founding of the nation’s permanent capital and the design, construction, and reconstruction of the White House from 1790-1830 that resulted in today’s iconic structure.