The White House

The White House. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC. Built (started) in 1792.

The building garnered its name not from white paint, but from a lime-based whitewash that coated the porous stone that it was constructed with to keep it from freezing during the winter. This whitewash was meant to wear off over time, but it was periodically refreshed until the structure was finally painted with white lead paint in 1818.

The White House has 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms, 7 floors, 412 doors, 28 fireplaces, 7 staircases, and 3 elevators.