Today in History October 12th 

1901 – President Theodore Roosevelt officially renames the “Executive Mansion” to the White House.

The building, initially known as the President’s Palace, Presidential Mansion, or President’s House. The earliest evidence of the public calling it the “White House” was recorded in 1811. A popular myth suggests that during the reconstruction of the structure after the Burning of Washington, white paint was applied to conceal the burn damage, giving the building its distinctive hue. The term “Executive Mansion” was used in official contexts until President Theodore Roosevelt officially adopted “The White House” as its name in 1901 through Executive Order. The current letterhead design, featuring “The White House” with the word “Washington” centered beneath it, dates back to the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The White House, situated at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., serves as the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800, when the national capital was relocated from Philadelphia.

Designed by the Irish-born architect James Hoban in the Neoclassical style, the White House draws inspiration from Leinster House in Dublin, which currently houses the Irish legislature, the Oireachtas. Constructed between 1792 and 1800, the building’s exterior walls are adorned with Aquia Creek sandstone painted white. Upon Thomas Jefferson’s arrival in 1801, he and his architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, added low colonnades to each wing to conceal the former stables and storage areas. During the War of 1812, in 1814, the mansion was set ablaze by British forces during the burning of Washington, resulting in the destruction of the interior and significant charring of the exterior. Reconstruction commenced almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed Executive Residence in October 1817. Exterior construction continued with the addition of the semicircular South Portico in 1824 and the North Portico in 1829.

Due to overcrowding within the executive mansion, President Theodore Roosevelt relocated all work offices to the newly constructed West Wing in 1902. Eight years later, in 1909, President William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and established the first Oval Office, which was later moved and expanded.