<Tr> <Th> Architect </Th> <Td> James Hoban </Td> </Tr> <P> The White House is the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States . It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800 . The term White House is often used as a metonym for the president and his advisers, as in "The White House announced that ...". </P> <P> The residence was designed by Irish - born architect James Hoban in the neoclassical style . Construction took place between 1792 and 1800 using Aquia Creek sandstone painted white . When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) added low colonnades on each wing that concealed stables and storage . In 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set ablaze by the British Army in the Burning of Washington, destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior . Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed Executive Residence in October 1817 . Exterior construction continued with the addition of the semi-circular South portico in 1824 and the North portico in 1829 . </P> <P> Because of crowding within the executive mansion itself, President Theodore Roosevelt had all work offices relocated to the newly constructed West Wing in 1901 . Eight years later in 1909, President William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and created the first Oval Office, which was eventually moved as the section was expanded . In the main mansion, the third - floor attic was converted to living quarters in 1927 by augmenting the existing hip roof with long shed dormers . A newly constructed East Wing was used as a reception area for social events; Jefferson's colonnades connected the new wings . East Wing alterations were completed in 1946, creating additional office space . By 1948, the house's load - bearing exterior walls and internal wood beams were found to be close to failure . Under Harry S. Truman, the interior rooms were completely dismantled and a new internal load - bearing steel frame constructed inside the walls . Once this work was completed, the interior rooms were rebuilt . </P>

What color was the white house when it was built