10 Weird Secrets About the White House

The world's most powerful buildings hide secrets and strange facts. About ghosts, confused presidents, bunkers, tunnels and luxury.

Bastian Brauns/t-online

The White House has been the official residence and residence of the President of the United States for more than 200 years. There is probably no other government building in the world that is so famous, and that's also because it has appeared in the background of so many Hollywood movies. Over the decades and centuries, the most powerful political headquarters in the world has accumulated not only strange stories but also many secrets, none of which have been revealed yet.

There is a double room

In 1792, Irish architect James Hoban entered a tender to find a builder for the “Presidential Palace” in Washington. Hoban won the competition and became the architect of the White House. His winning design is said to be based on Dublin's Leinster Palace, completed in 1748 and now the seat of the Irish Parliament. The stylistic similarities are obvious.

The West Wing was meant to be temporary

Of these, the famous West Wing, including the “Oval Office,” was once known only as the “Executive Office Building” and served more as a temporary solution. U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt ordered the construction of the West Wing. The reason: he wanted a clear separation between residential and office areas. This is why the west wing was originally separate from the main building. Today, every part of the White House is connected.

The White House is not the only name

The building at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue received its official name in 1901 under the leadership of 26th President Teddy Roosevelt. Prior to that, the presidential palace had various other names, including “the Presidential Palace,” the “President's Palace,” or the “Executive Mansion,” according to the White House Historical Association.

The first president of the United States did not live there

George Washington still chose the site for his presidential mansion. But he died in 1799, a year before the project was completed. The first president to live in the White House was John Adams, who lived there with his wife Abigail. Since then, every president and his family has moved into the White House.

Shopping mile, bowling alley and cinema

The White House looks quite small compared to the massive Capitol Building, home to the U.S. Congress and Senate. That's why it's hard to imagine that there are still 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms on 6 floors. There are also numerous entertainment areas, bowling alleys, swimming pools, fitness rooms and a cinema. Donald Trump is said to have even installed his own solarium.

The ground floor is designed as a small shopping area. There's a flower shop, a woodworking shop, a calligraphy office and even a “chocolatier” where real confectioners make their creations. However, people don't shop in these “stores”; they mainly work for state receptions and other official occasions. The White House kitchen can accommodate up to 1,000 guests and can invite 140 guests for a full dinner.

Doomsday secret bunker

The official name of the U.S. presidential bunker is the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC). Located in the East Wing of the White House, it should not be confused with the so-called “Situation Room,” which also serves as a situation center that monitors military operations. The room was built for Franklin Roosevelt during World War II. The exact specifications of the underground presidential bunker remain secret. But it should even be able to withstand a direct nuclear strike. Access to the PEOC is via an elevator located behind multiple vault doors and equipped with a biometric access control system.

George Bush and his Vice President Dick Cheney were in this room on September 11, 2001, the day of the Islamic terrorist attacks. However, only Donald Trump is said to have used PEOC recently. When protests erupted in the nation's capital following the death of George Floyd, he decided to take refuge in a bunker for about an hour.

secret tunnel system

The White House's underground tunnel system dates back to the 1950s. A tunnel connected the west and east wings and provided access to the air raid shelters. In 1987, a secret tunnel was built during Ronald Reagan's term to protect the president in the event of a terrorist attack. He can open a secret door by pressing a wall panel and enter via a secret staircase outside the Oval Office. There are also unconfirmed rumors of additional secret tunnels leading to the Houses of Parliament, nearby Blair House and the Vice President's residence. It is said that there are even underground passages to Camp David and the Pentagon.

Haunted in a haunted house

One of the spooky anecdotes about the White House is that the ghost of Abraham Lincoln is wreaking havoc there. That's why British Prime Minister Winston Churchill reportedly refused to sleep in Abraham Lincoln's famous bedroom again. Churchill was convinced that Lincoln's ghost appeared by the fireplace when he emerged naked from the bathroom. President Franklin Roosevelt also claimed that Lincoln was haunted by him.

Other presidents are said to not feel comfortable in the White House either. For example, President Harry Truman once described the White House as “the great white prison” or “the charmed prison.” Richard Nixon, on the other hand, is said to have befriended his late predecessor. The alcoholic is said to have amused himself with the portrait prominently displayed on the wall.

Living and working underground

The reporters who follow the President of the United States every day, known as syndicated reporters, have to work in the dark at the White House. Their workstations are located below the press briefing room, where the communications team regularly fields questions from Washington Capitals reporters. Due to the lack of light and the extremely cramped location, the basement location looks like the interior of a submarine and is anything but grand. The first-floor press room is located above the original presidential swimming pool. John F. Kennedy's wife “Jackie” was said to be particularly fond of using it.

built by slaves

The White House was also built by slaves, according to the Smithsonian. Historical salary documents prove this. Therefore, many construction workers were not free citizens. Architect James Hoban is also said to have used his own slaves Ben, Daniel and Peter as carpenters on the project.

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