Existing comment:
1792:
President Washington directed construction of the national capital. He selected the location for the presidential residence and after reviewing a number of competing proposals, chose Irish-born James Hoban as the architect and builder. Hundreds of workers, including enslaved African Americans, Scottish stonecutters, immigrant laborers, and local craftsmen, labored on the building for eight years. In 1800, President John Adams (1797-1801) became the first president to occupy the new White House. |