The white building that stands at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation's capital city is familiar to most of us, yet few people are frequent callers there. When Franklin Roosevelt said that this house is owned by all the American people, he had something else in mind. Whatever our political views,family backgrounds, or special interests, we all live there in a sense through shared history and citizenship.
To walk over the manicured grounds toward the White House entrance is to feel the significance of our nation's history. Those who do cross the threshold of the President's House renew a kinship with what must be understood as a widely extended family. Like a grand European house of three or four hundred years ago, the White House encloses both public and private rooms that serve multiple functions. Through the same hallways pass the casual vacationer, the hurried diplomatic adviser, and the current presidential family. Their common ground is the house itself and the history it represents.
First occupied in 1800, the
White House has served as the official residence of all the
Presidents of the United States except
Not surprisingly, the families of the
[Louisa Adams] The great-great grandson of
John
Quincy Adams presented Gilbert Stuart portraits of his ancestors, John
Quincy Adams and Louisa Adams (shown at left). The works may have hung
in the White House during the John
Quincy Adams Administration.
Art for the President's House
Art for the President's House II
Art for the President's House III
Art for the President's House IV
Art for the President's House V
Art for the President's House VI
Art for the President's House VII
Art for the President's House VIII
Art for the President's House IX
Art for the President's House X
Art for the President's House XI
Art for the President's House XII
Art for the President's House XIII
Art for the President's House XIV
Art for the President's House XV
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