The White House Complex is the designation of the three principal structures of the White House and the adjoining outdoor ceremonial areas, which, along with the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, serve as the seat of the executive branch of United States government. The structural components include the Executive Residence, where the First Family resides; the West Wing, the location of the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, and Roosevelt Room; and the East Wing, which houses the offices of the First Lady and the White House Social Secretary, and also provides public access to the State Rooms of the Executive Residence for tours and social events.
The adjoining outdoor spaces are used for ceremonial and social events. They include the Rose Garden, Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, North Lawn, and South Lawn.
The central executive residence, the original building of the complex, was built 1792–1800. The east and west porticos were designed by Thomas Jefferson and built in 1803. In 1859 the East Colonnade was dismantled. The East Wing and West Wing were constructed in 1902, and a modified version of the east colonnades was constructed in 1902 on the same foundations as Jefferson's 1803 original.
The White House Chief Usher is the head of household staff and operations.
Famous quotes containing the words white, house and/or complex:
“... how often the Presidency has simply meant that a man shall be abused, distrusted, and worked to death while he is filling the great office, and that he should drop into unmerited oblivion when he has left the White House ...”
—M. E. W. Sherwood (1826–1903)
“This is the house that Jack built.
This is the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.”
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“It would be naive to think that peace and justice can be achieved easily. No set of rules or study of history will automatically resolve the problems.... However, with faith and perseverance,... complex problems in the past have been resolved in our search for justice and peace. They can be resolved in the future, provided, of course, that we can think of five new ways to measure the height of a tall building by using a barometer.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)