White House

Tours: Call (202) 456-7041

" I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house
and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest
and wise men ever rule under the roof."
John Adams, dedicatory prayer made on the
first night of occupancy, in November 1800

Millions of visitors from all over the world consider a visit to Washington, DC incomplete without experiencing the White House. This stately, palatial structure which has been home to all of America's Presidents and First Families (except George and Martha Washington) has become an international symbol of the US presidency. In all of the world, the White House stands alone as the only home of a head of state open to the people on a regular basis. Images of America's past and present embodied in the walls of this 132 room mansion-- from Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside chats, or Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sedat and Monachem Begin signing the Middle East Peace Accord, to Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation, personify the White House as the spirit and hope of America.

White House Visitor Center

Open Daily: 7:30 AM until 4:00 PM
(Except New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day)

Located inside the north end of the Department of Commerce Building between 14th & 15th Streets on Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House Visitor Center serves the visitors to the White House, as well as those who are unable to tour the House and want to learn more about its history.

Construction of the Department of Commerce Building began on October 4, 1927, more than a decade after the creation of the Department, whose offices were scattered among a number of facilities throughout the city. On July 10, 1929, President Herbert Hoover laid the cornerstone. When the building was completed in January 1932, it was the largest office building in the world.

Walk through six permanent exhibits relating to the White House including the First Families In the White House, Symbols and Images, White House Architecture, White House Interiors, Working White House, and Ceremonies and Celebration.