President's Park Introduction
President's Park, which includes the park lands surrounding the White House, is composed of approximately 82 acres and is home for many significant statues, memorials and structures which give context to our lives today.
Trails Information
President's Park has two trails - one north and one south of the White House. On either trail you have the opportunity to learn about some of the individuals and events which have shaped our nation's history.
Both trails start at the White House Visitor Center, located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, where a free guide for both trails is available.
The northern trail takes you to Sherman Park, where the famous general once reviewed the troops returning from the Civil War, then north to Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Park and ends at the majestic First Division Monument.
The southern trail leaves the visitor center and winds its way around the magnificent open parade ground known as the Ellipse, past monuments, memorials and fountains and ending at the fence surrounding the White House South Lawn.
On both trails you will have views of the White House, the home and office of the President of the United States. Just as the White House is the home of our nation's president and first family, President's Park is our nation's front yard!
White House South Lawn
For more than two hundred years, each president has left a unique mark on the grounds of the White House.
The grounds reveal a rich and colorful history. They were dreamed of by George Washington, defined by Thomas Jefferson, drained and filled by Ulysses S. Grant, and enriched with color and cover by many caretakers through the years.
During the administration of John Quincy Adams, the first floral garden and ornamental trees were planted in 1825. Early in the morning the president liked to dig in the flower beds and claimed in his diary to have planted more than a thousand trees here before he left office.
His successor, Andrew Jackson, continued and expanded the garden program, completing garden for kitchen and pleasure, as well as an orangery, where healthful fruits matured in the cold months.
In 1913 First Lady Ellen Wilson, first wife of President Woodrow Wilson, had a formal rose garden created just outside the West Wing of the White House. The Rose Garden was redesigned and expanded by President John F. Kennedy as an area to host presidential functions and accommodate outdoor ceremonies. In the 1960s, Mrs. Lyndon Johnson reconfigured the East Garden to feature seasonal flowers and dedicated it to Jacqueline Kennedy.
The South Lawn today is the site of many formal and informal functions. The president's helicopter lands here. Youth activities, including the annual Easter Egg Roll and T-ball games, are also held on these grounds. The First Family can enjoy the swimming pool, a small putting green, a jogging track, and a tennis court, all located on the South Grounds. Mrs. Lyndon Johnson also created the Children's Garden, a quiet, child-scaled retreat with a fish pool. Some of the paving stones are bronze castings of hands and footprints of children and grand-childrens of Presidents over the past thirty-five years.
The responsiblity for the preservation and updeep of the White House grounds was given to the National Park Service in 1961 by the U.S. Congress.
White House North Lawn
John Adams, our second president, was the first president to live in the White House. Although the first president, George Washington, oversaw construction, he never lived here. Washington chose Irish-born and trained architect James Hoban to build the sandstone residence. Construction began in 1792 and was completed in 1800.
The White House was the largest residence in the United States until after the Civil War. It has been expanded, renovated, repaired, and repainted many times in the last two hundred years.
British troops burned the White House in 1814 during the War of 1812. Although the fire was put out by a summer thunderstorm, all that remained were the charred outside walls and the interior brick walls. President James Madison brought Hoban back to rebuild the mansion, and it was completed in three years.
In the nineteenth century, the grounds on the north side were open every day. Tourists and business callers walked up a fenced driveway and entered as they might in any friend's house. President Lincoln delivered several memorable speeches from the window over the main door, with several thousand listeners crowded below. The fountain was added by President Ulysses S. Grant in the mid-1670s. Today, it is surrounded by colorful plantings seasonally, including tulips in the spring, red salvia in the summer, and mums in the fall.
As the United States became more prominent in world affairs and the role of the presidency expanded, the White House needed to grow. In 1902, the West Wing was added to the White House. In 1909, the wing was extended, and an oval office was added. In 1934, the West Wing again was expanded, and the current Oval Office, the president's office, was built. It is located on the south side of the West Wing.
The East Wing was built in 1942. Traditionally, the first lady's offices are located in this area.
The northwest corner of the North Lawn is used by the news media reporting national and international news.