White House, the residence of the president of the United States, at Washington, D. C. It is a mile and a half from the capitol, on Pennsylvania Avenue. The corner-stone was laid in 1792, and President John Adams was the first to occupy it in 1800. In 1814 it was burned by the British and rebuilt and occupied again in 1818. The grounds cover about 75 acres, 20 being inclosed as private grounds. It is built of freestone, painted white, 170 feet long by 86 deep, with a circular porch in the rear and a colonnade in front. The architect was an Irishman, and the house is modeled after the duke of Leinster's palace at Dublin.
