"The white painted façade of James Hoban's original structure has been added to and strengthened for more than 200 years, and its interior is a repository of some of America's greatest treasures. Artists s fashioned interiors that welcomed and inspired visitors both foreign and domestic, combining to provide "the best," as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy once noted"--Provided by publisher.

The First Presidential Houses in New York City and Philadelphia, 1789-1800 -- The President's Palace Planned, 1790-1792 -- Competition for the Design of the President's House, 1792 -- Construction, 1792-1800 -- Revision, 1801-1809 -- The Burning of the President's House, 1814-1815 -- Rebuilding the Executive Mansion, 1815-1860 -- Modernization, 1860-1902 -- Restoration of the White House, 1902-1916 -- Enlargement, 1927-1945 -- Renovation, 1949-1952 -- Revitalization, 1961-1969 -- Preservation, 1970-2012 -- The White House as a National Monument -- Interior Detail: The Blue Room, 1792-2012.