White House By The Numbers

Too bad George Washington never got to live there. But he was the one who picked out the site and he oversaw construction. The cornerstone was laid in 1792 and eight years later President John Adams and his wife became the first residents of the White House.

Over the years each President has made changes to suit their own tastes.

When Harry Truman was President nearly all of the interior of the White House was gutted and upgraded. He and his wife spent most of his Presidency living in Blair House across the street.

The British set fire to the White House and much of Washington during the War of 1812. Most of the interior was destroyed but the walls continued to stand and the walls today are the same ones built more than 200 years ago.

Here’s the White House by the numbers:

• It has 132 rooms
• 35 bathrooms
• 412 doors
• 147 windows
• 28 fireplaces
• 8 staircases
• 3 elevators.
• 5 full-time chefs
• The White House can serve dinner to 140 guests
• 570 gallons of paint are needed to cover the outside walls
• It has a tennis court, jogging track, a pool, movie theatre and bowling lane
• And it's one of only five buildings in the country to have its own zip code – 20500.