<P> The residence was designed by Irish - born architect James Hoban in the neoclassical style . Construction took place between 1792 and 1800 using Aquia Creek sandstone painted white . When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801 , he ( with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe ) added low colonnades on each wing that concealed stables and storage . In 1814 , during the War of 1812 , the mansion was set ablaze by the British Army in the Burning of Washington , destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior . Reconstruction began almost immediately , and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed Executive Residence in October 1817 . Exterior construction continued with the addition of the semi-circular South portico in 1824 and the North portico in 1829 . </P>
<P> The residence was designed by Irish - born architect James Hoban in the neoclassical style . Construction took place between 1792 and 1800 using Aquia Creek sandstone painted white . When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801 , he ( with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe ) added low colonnades on each wing that concealed stables and storage . In 1814 , during the War of 1812 , the mansion was set ablaze by the British Army in the Burning of Washington , destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior . Reconstruction began almost immediately , and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed Executive Residence in October 1817 . Exterior construction continued with the addition of the semi-circular South portico in 1824 and the North portico in 1829 . </P>
what color was the white house when it was built
what color was the white house when it was built
white
white