 back - The White House has been the home of the Presidents from the time of John Adams to the present. Washington selected the site, laid the cornerstone in 1792: and with his wife inspected the finished building in 1799. The building is of Virginian freestone. After the house hs been fired by British troops in 1814, and only the walls were left standing, the restored exterior was painted white to obliterate the marks of the fire. postmarked : 1934 |