After a pause due to the pandemic, public visits to the White House return

After being suspended due to the pandemic, the home and offices of the president of the United States are once again open to the public

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FILE PHOTO: The exterior of
FILE PHOTO: The exterior of the White House is seen from the North Lawn in Washington, U.S., August 19, 2021. REUTERS/Cheriss May/File Photo

The so-called people's house, better known as the White House, could always be visited on a few free tours. But since the beginning of the pandemic, the entry of people into the building was limited, suspending this service, which is now being restored.

Everyone who wants to visit must book a shift between 3 months and 21 days before the tour date. Tours are ordered through the offices of the federal congressmen who are the ones who make the request to the White House. In the first instance, tours will take place only on Fridays and Saturdays between 8 am and half past 12 noon. Shifts are awarded on a per-order basis.

What can you see on the White House tour?

The most famous office in the world, the oval room, is not open to the public, nor is the private section of the White House where the president lives with his family.

But there are several interesting points on the tour. In each room during the visit there are secret service staff, who, in addition to ensuring that everything is well, can answer questions about the history or architecture of the place.

The blue room

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It was designed in 1837 at the request of the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren. Oval in format, like the famous presidential office, as the name suggests, it is a room where blue predominates. It has no particular use, but is part of the White House museum.

The red room

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Interestingly, when it was built, this room was predominantly yellow. But in 1845, then-President James K. Polk and First Lady Sarah Polk redesigned it in shades of red. In 1877, President Rutheford B. Hayes was sworn in for president in this room.

The Green Room

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The sixth president of the United States, John Quincy Adams was the one who commissioned the green decoration of this room. Construction took several years, between 1825 and 1829. Thomas Jefferson used it as a dining room, and the last renovation it was done by Melania Trump, who incorporated there a portrait of the former first lady, Edith Roosevelt, wife of President Theodore Roosevelt.

The Porcelain Room

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In this room, the porcelains accumulated by dozens of presidents are exhibited. The first to set up this room was first lady Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, second wife of President Woodrow Wilson in 1917.

The rose garden

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Perhaps the most popular stop on the tour is the famous rose garden used for the president's press conferences.

Despite its name, it is not only roses that are appreciated there, but dozens of other types of flowers depending on the season. Although the garden has existed since 1913, in 1961 President John F. Kennedy along with First Lady Jackie Kennedy gave it popular use. According to the historic association of the White House, the presidential couple were inspired by the walks through the European gardens they took during a tour to make this place one of the most used in the White House.

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