White House

Formerly known as the President's House, then the Executive Mansion, and now for a long time the White House, this famous structure has a complex but fascinating architectural history. The Irish-Palladian mansion, recreated with a distinctly American charm, is simultaneously the seat of the executive branch of the U.S. government and the People's House, as well as an impressive world-class museum. The white painted facade of James Hoban's original structure has been added to and strengthened for more than 200 years, and its interior is a repository of some of America's greatest treasures. Artists such as Benjamin Latrobe, Pierre-Antoine Bellange, the Herter Brothers, Louis Tiffany, Charles McKim, Lorenzo Winslow, Stephane Boudin, Edward Vason Jones, and a host of others fashioned interiors that welcomed and inspired visitors both foreign and domestic, combining to provide ""the best,"" as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy once noted.