As the world gets ready to watch a new president take up residency in the White House, we thought it would be fun to share some surprising facts about this centuries-old, not so humble abode.

1. All in a Name – Before Theodore Roosevelt dubbed this stately structure the ‘White House’ in 1901, it was also known as the Executive Mansion, the President’s House, and the President’s Palace. Roosevelt was our 26^th president
2. A Starter Home – During the construction of the nation’s new capital city, George Washington took up residence in a well-appointed brick mansion in Philadelphia – the acting capital at the time. Before that, Washington lived in two other homes in New York City during his presidency.  The only place he didn’t call home during his two terms was the White House as it was not completed until 1800, a year after he died.
3. The First Resident – Washington did, however, oversee construction of the White House and, before that, picked a plot of land on the Potomac River to serve as the nation’s capital. The first official occupants of the White House were president John Adams and his wife, Abigail.
4. All the Comforts – Running water was piped into the residence in 1833, a central heating system was installed in 1837, and electricity lit up the home beginning in 1891.
5. Plenty of Room – The White House consists of 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms. It occupies six floors and features 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, 3 elevators, 147 windows, and 412 doors.
6. Market Value – According to Zillow, the White House is worth about $397 million. It’s a good thing the First Family is allowed to live in the sprawling mansion rent-free.
7. A Pricey Face Lift – It takes about 20 gallons of paint to coat the exterior of an average 2,000 square foot home. However, if you were to paint the exterior of the White House, you’d need about 570 gallons of paint – and a lot of time.
8. Pool Party – Believe it or not, what is now known as the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room was once a swimming pool. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt commissioned the building of the indoor aquatic arena and swam in the pool regularly to help soothe his polio. In 1970, Richard Nixon pushed to have a larger space for the members of the press corps, and the pool was filled in.
9. Lawfully Wedded – Seventeen White House weddings have been documented. The first, in 1812, was for the sister of first lady Dolley Madison. The most recent, in 1994, was for the brother of first lady Hillary Clinton. Grover Cleveland became the only president married in the White House when he wed Frances Folsom in the Blue Room in 1886.
10. What’s with the Elephants? – Some pretty exotic pets have also called the White House home. Take, for instance, the pair of tiger cubs kept briefly by Martin Van Buren, or the tobacco-chewing ram preferred by Woodrow Wilson. And yes, even a herd of elephants once resided there, the prized possessions of James Buchanan.

As for White House Security, we’d need more than blog to provide you with all that information.  But here’s just a taste of how its occupants are protected, starting with the iron fence that surrounds it.  Alarms are positioned beneath the ground and infrared sensors above the ground to detect intruders, while guard stations control the entrances and bullet-proof windows protect against sniper fire.

Is your home and family as well protected as you’d like it to be?  If the answer is “no” or you’re just not sure, we invite you to contact Now Security Systems today for a free in-home security analysis and proposal.