The White House: Virtual Experience

By: Sarah McGovern

The White House, located in Washington, DC, is one of the most iconic buildings in the United States. To many, the White House symbolizes freedom, democracy, our President, and our country. 

View of the White House from the South Lawn. Photo from David Everett Strickler

History of The White House

There was much debate where the President should live. In 1791 George Washington, the first president of the United States, picked land between Virginia and Maryland for the new capital. This land was on the border of the north and the south, and at the time, there was no west. George Washington named the land the District of Columbia, in honor of Christopher Columbus. Much planning went into the creation of Washington, DC. 

When it came to building the President's house, Thomas Jefferson suggested having a contest that was to be advertised in newspapers across the country. A committee picked a simple and elegant design by Irish American architect James Hoban.  

Drawing of White House from 1800. Source

The first brick to build the White House was laid on October 13, 1792. It wasn't until eight years later in 1800 when the second President of the United States, John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved into the unfinished house. 

President after President continued to add additions to the White House as well as renovate the house. Every President since John Adams has lived in the White House. Today the White House has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and six levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, and three elevators. The kitchen can serve dinner to as many as 140 guests, and hor's d' oeuvres to more than 1,000. 

Scheduling In-Person Tours of The White House

The history that the White House holds is one of the many reasons why 6000 visitors tour the White House each day. 

Touring the White House must be planned in advance. Tour requests must be submitted through your member of congress. If you are a resident of a foreign country, you must contact your embassy in Washington to schedule a tour. These requests must be sent at least 21 days in advance, though they can be submitted up to three months in advance. It is recommended that potential visitors sign up as early as possible since the tour spots are based on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tours are self-guided and generally available Tuesday through Saturday free of charge. 

Screenshot of the homepage for the website to find your member of congress.

What you Should Expect to See on Your In-PersonTour 

There is only one tour that the average visitor can sign up for—the tour of the East Wing and the Residence. Visitors enter the White House from the south side of East Executive Avenue. Then they are instructed to go through a security screening area. Next, visitors are given a route to follow depicted on the tour map below. The visitors first enter the East Wing of the White House and walk down the East Colonnade leading towards the Residence. 

White House Tour Map

At this time, West Wing Tours are by invitation from the White House or through a personal connection to a White House staffer that would be willing to lead you on an after-hours tour. These tours are led by knowledgeable members of the White House staff and Secret Service. The West Wing is the working part of the White House and holds the President's office. It contains the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, and the Roosevelt Room. 

West Wing Tour Map

Virtual Tour

Forgot to sign up in advance? Are crowds not your thing? Looking for a fun activity to pass the time during quarantine? 360 Virtual Tour Co offers an online tour of the White House that anyone can access for free. 

How To Use the Virtual Tour 

Skip the lines and the crowds. There is no waiting time to access this virtual tour. Users can access this tour on any device that connects to the internet. Once the user follows the tour link, they are immediately in the White House. 

Screenshot of the homepage of the website for the virtual tour.

The interface is user friendly and easy to use. Users can click their mouse anywhere on their screen to move their viewpoint. They can also drag their mouse around to see a full 360 view of many rooms in the White House. There are also arrows on the screen that the user can click to "walk" around to different parts of the White House. Play around with the screen for a minute or so, and users should get the full hang of how to change their view on the virtual tour. 

The Cross Hall. Here you can see the arrows and ways to navigate the virtual tour.

What to Expect to See on the Virtual Tour

Entrance Hall

The Virtual Tour begins in the Entrance Hall, overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue. The hall serves as a grand foyer for the formal reception rooms on the State Floor. During events, the United States Marine Band can be found performing here. The grand staircase that leads from the State Floor to the Second Floor is frequently used for ceremonial occasions. On January 20th, 1985, President Ronald Regan took his second oath of office on the lowest landing. 

Entrance Hall. First & Second Photograph: Source. Third: screenshot of the view of the Entrance Hall in the virtual tour.

Green Room

Off of the Entrance Hall, users can "walk" into the Green Room. This room was initially designed by James Hoban 1800 to be a common dining room. But since 1800, the room has served many different purposes. The inventory of February 1801 indicates that John Adams first used it as a "Lodging Room." Thomas Jefferson then went on to use the room as a dining room. The uses and styles of the room changed as frequently as the taste of the presidents. It was not until the Coolidge administration that authentic Federal-period furniture was placed in the room. In 1971 the room was completely renovated. Most of the furnishings in the room today are from the 1800-15 time period. Today, the room is commonly used as a room for tea and receptions. 

First and Second Photographs: Green Room, 2019. The second photograph is a portrait of former First Lady Edith Roosevelt that hangs in the Green Room. Third Photograph: is a screenshot of the Green Room in the virtual tour, as you can see the virtual tour has not been updated to feature the portrait of former First Lady Edith Roosevelt.

East Room 

From the Green Room, the user can "walk" into the East Room. The East Room was designed by Jame Hoban in 1800 to be a "Public Audience Room." John Adams and his wife Abigail used this large and unfinished room to hang their wet laundry. The room remained unfinished until 1829 when Andrew Jackson was elected President and moved into the White House. Jackson ordered the walls to be papered with lemon yellow and added blue carpeting to the flooring. The room has served many purposes since. In 1848 funeral services were held for the death of President William Henry Harrison. In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt gave a state dinner in the East Room for Prussia's Prince Henry. Today this large room continues to host bill-signing ceremonies, press conferences, and music, and dance performances. 

First: Painting showing the East Room being used to hang wet laundry. Second: Photograph of East Room current day. Third: Screenshot of the East Room from the virtual Tour.

There are many more rooms to discover on through this virtual tour.

My Thoughts on the Virtual Tour 

In some aspects, this tour may be better than the standard in-person tour of the White House. The virtual tour allows the user to "walk through" the inside residence halls and even walk around The Oval office. The Oval Office is off-limits when touring in person. In addition to the extra spaces that users can view, the visuals on the virtual tour are unobstructed by any other tourist. 

There are some negatives about this virtual tour. The user is not provided with any information about the rooms they are viewing. The names of the rooms are not given to the user, and further, no detail about the artifacts in these rooms are provided. To understand what they are viewing, the users must do further outside research of each room. The graphics of the virtual tour are okay as it is difficult to see the details of the artwork, furniture, and accessories through a screen. The tour has not been updated in recent months, meaning users will outdated furnishing of some rooms such as the Green Room.

While this tour is fantastic for getting a full 360 view of the residence halls and oval office, users can't gain much information about the White House from this virtual tour. Because of this, the virtual tour should be used as an aid alongside informational government websites.