Thanks for answering questions! What’s an example of a tradition at the White House that 100 years ago was considered essential and immovable and that today we hardly remember?

Are there any pieces of Mid-century modern furniture in the white house? It all seems so William and Mary and Revival. Has there ever been an Eames Lounger in the White House? Or was there a president who made the most "modern" update to the residence?

What in your mind was the best prank played by an exiting president? Ive heard of andrew Jackson leaving a large cheese wheel hidden in the white house and was wondering if anything topped that.

Two questions on the same topic:

1. What was the public response to the British burning the White House in 1814? Had it become the national icon it is today at that point? Was there any sense of a need for retaliation?

2. What, if anything, in the modern appearance of the White House remains from the original construction?

Dr. Costello, the title of your book interests me. I realize this is probably a 'big' question, insofar as the topic of your book, but how do see the memory of Washington to have evolved? How has the idea of who Washington was been changed over time to reflect the period doing the remembering?

Without wanting to get into any current politics, I've always been a bit struck by the tradition of veteran staffers writing letters to their replacements during transitions. How long have these letters been a thing? How did they come about?

As a slightly cheeky, example-seeking follow up: Those I've heard of seem to be all be quite generously spirited, even across partisan divides. Have they ever been slightly... pettier? Have departing occupants ever found ways to make their distaste for their replacements shown?

Hello, thanks for doing this! Some movies have shown ways that past Presidents managed to sneak out of the Whitehouse official environment and interact with people normally. Have past presidents found ways to sneak out of their official roles and interact normally? Who was the last president to just "live" in the city without all the barriers?

This question is directed at either of the Historians taking questions: Has the current presidency at all affected the work of white house Historians? How do the current White house Historians document the contemporary political situation of America, or do you wait for the dust to settle after the fact?

I'm curious about the early efforts of historic preservation in relation to the history of the White House. When did the White House began to be seen as a historic building? What were some of the early efforts to preserve the historic features of the Washington D.C. buildings tied to the American presidency?

I just saw that William Seale has recently passed away - I'm overwhelmed with grief (I served with him for many years on the National Historical Landmarks Committee). He was such a great scholar and a true gentleman. Did you both work with him and how has your organization changed with his passing?

Can you talk about how visitation of the White House has changed over the years? From a biography of Garfield I learned that earlier presidents spent a large part of their day receiving members of the public to hear their ideas and complaints, with minimal security. The situation seems unimaginable today. Why did that sort of thing start, end, and how has the public’s experience of the White House changed over its history?

What does a White House Historian do all day?

What are some of the strangest animals that have been kept by the first family as pets?

In my country, Croatia, there is a very popular story that the White House, or at least partly, or at the very least parts of its interior are made from the famous white stone of the island of Brač, used among other things to build Emperor Diocletian's Palace in Split centuries ago. Is there any truth to it?

Disclaimer: it is also unclear if it is the "first" or the "second" White house the story refers to.

Kind of a fringe question but one I've heard and read about numerous places:

Is the White House haunted?

There's numerous accounts of people seeing things including Churchhill who allegedly saw Abraham Lincoln's ghost.

How have presidential pets historically been taken care of in the White House? Is there a person who's job is to take care of them? What happens if they use the bathroom inside? Are there restrictions for which rooms the pets are allowed to be in?

Do all presidents have the option of having their own rooms at the White House saved for future occupants, e.g. the Lincoln bedroom? How do these rooms get chosen?

What’s the biggest falsehood depicted in movies about the Whitehouse that you would correct?

Do you guys hate us Canadians/Brits for burning down the White House back in the day?

Hi! Thank you so much for coming. Is there much overlap between the White House Historical Association and the various presidential libraries? Do you work with them with archiving and research?

When referring to the residence of foreign heads of state (particularly in Latin America), I frequently hear media refer to them as "The Presidential Palace".

This terminology is not used for the White House, despite it arguably being fitting. Has the media always been circumspect in their reference to the White House, or has it been referred to in more grandiose terms in the past? Is there a reason that it has avoided such a moniker?

I understand that Obama Presidential Library will break with precedent and be run as a private nonprofit, rather than by the National Archives and Records Administration. It also won’t be a research library. Why is this concerning to some historians?

One thing that I've always wondered about regarding the White House as a... well as a House:

What's the quality of the plumbing and toilets? Obviously the White House has had numerous renovations- and likely more more money than put into it than any other house I've been in- but I know from personal experience the struggles of older plumbing and toilets, even those only more than just a few decades old.

Thanks for doing this AMA! What does the day to day of a White House historian look like? Is it mostly writing and research or do you do media and such?

I toured the NZ governor-general's residence and there learnt that in the drawing room, to cope with the large number of spilled drinks and food, they have a carpet, that, amongst other treatments, gets "shaved" every couple of years. Does The Whitehouse have any similar oddities?

How many first dogs have there been. Witch one has been the most influential

Have there ever been any serious proposals to move the president to another site? Are there any expectations (legal or customary) that the president must utilize the White House over private or vacation homes?

Four years ago, I was gobsmacked to learn that two months earlier, in 2015, the Mount Vernon Ladies Assn. uncovered the first-ever evidence that GW personally contracted Betsy Ross for bedroom decorating. I subsequently produced a radio story about this.

The discovery was important because before that, the role of Betsy Ross was largely based on lore.

Curious if historical/archival records for the White House will ever be digitized, so as to allow monumental discoveries to be made by the general public?

Though anecdotal, the Mt. Vernon discovery reminds me that so many more discoveries like this remain to be made through historical records.

What were some of the biggest changes made to the White House after it was burned in the War of 1812?

What’s the story behind the huge lamp hanging in the north portico?

Why was the naval observatory selected as the Vice President’s residence?

Is there any discussion of one day recreating the first White House before it had been burnt down by the Brits?

In your opinion is there any single personality trait that all presidents have that would drive them to want to be president? Or is it a combination of a few different things that might differ between presidents?

What ever happened to the Masonic cornerstone that was laid when construction of the White House began? Some say it went missing within a day, others say it went missing during the War of 1812 when the British partially burned the White House. Is it possible the British Royals had the British army steal/retrieve the cornerstone?

How many people got killed inside the white house?

What was the most bizarre change a president has ever requested to be made on the WH?

To what extent does your organization focus on the various crimes against humanity perpetrated by the occupants of the White House?

Hello. Thank you for doing this. Your post says this is to do with the mansion and interior of the White House, but is there any overlap with record-keeping? If so, can you expound on how much extra effort it takes to compile and permanently record tweets for historical purposes?

I read a story where Andrew Carnegie claimed to have provided Lincoln the pen he used to write the Gettysburg Address. This got me thinking, what exactly was the role of industrialists like Carnegie in the White House during the Civil War?

I am curious about how the White House is staffed. How many (and what categories) of the staff are attached to the White House rather than the current administration?

So many different functions happen there. It seems there must be an apolitical core group that keeps things running smoothly, apart from political jobs and appointments.

Can you talk a little bit about the development of the security protocols at the WH? What would they have been when it was first built, what would they have been in the late 1800s? What about mid-20th century? Etc

Looking at the White Houses floor plans, it appears that there are several storage rooms. Is the storage for mundane items, or would we expect to see items of historical interest? E.g. former first families storing items there and leaving them. Who has access to these rooms?

Is any of Mary Pinchot Meyers art still in the White House?

What are your thoughts on the ficticious "Mural Room" in The West Wing?

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Is Taft's tub still in there?

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Does the Press pool smell like chlorine?

Thank you for answering questions!

I've heard that at one point the White House was burned down by the British.

Is this true?

So...the white house burned down in 1812. Is there anything in or near the white house that references this? Like a plaque? Also,when it burned down,did the architects build it in the same place,and were there remaining blueprints from when it was originally built,or was it from memory? Also,is there a backup plan if the white house gets burned down a second time,or do you just think "nah,America is great,that'll never happen!"

People rarely talk about the war of 1812 and how the British burned down the white House. How badly was it damaged, did much survive bad what impact did it have on the nation?

What is the most shocking thing that a President did while in the White House?

Future Jobs?!?!?

I'm interested to know what kind of background future employees will need for a positions at the White House Historical Association. Will technology effect the type of skills needed?

How much data does the White House generate that isn't covered by the Presidential Records Act? IP traffic, wireless signals, security video, and so on - are there any big sources of data that aren't preserved now? Would there be any significant historical value to adding any of that data to be retained per the PRA?

Whats your favorite fact about any of these topics that you feel many people don't know? Like are there any sweet rooms in the white house that people often over looked?

Why does the president live in the White House? And was it built to house the president? I’m from Norway, and here we have a parliament building in which our state minister works, but she always goes home to a normal house afterwards. So it’s kind of fascinating that he lives in the same place he works.

What was typical White House entertainment, and how has it evolved over the years? On a tangential relation, I remember an anecdote about how superior of a bridge player one of the first ladies was compared to her husband, but I cant verify the validity of this.

As a non-american who knows very little american history, what do you think is the most important piece of your continents history that you would teach someone who barely knows anything about it?

Was there ever a point in time regular folks could just wander through the White House? I visited during the Carter admin and some folks thought my sister was Amy. I remember thinking there’s no way they would let her play on the stairs during a tour.

If there are no state functions happening, does the first family actually use the first floor and state rooms at all or do they mostly confine themselves to the private second and third floors?

Are there any lowkey slights that occupants have made against their predecessors?

What’s the story about the bowling alley? And what other unusual rooms have their been, and under whose direction/request ?

Hello! I am a big James Madison fan, and am always in search of history of his that be I can view. Unfortunately (obviously), the Brits were hazardous to his White House occupancy. Do you have any James Madison pieces a. the public can view or b. are cool and the public might not be aware of?

How many gardens does the White House have?

I noticed that the presidential letter stationery changed sometime during Dwight Eisenhower's time in office. It changed from a copperplate-gothic type to some type of Caslon.

Who designed the current iteration of the stationery, and what type does it use? Thanks.

I recently found a "White House Wash Room Republican" key tag. I'm trying to find out more about it? tks

Hi, can you touch on the white house’s policies during the 1968 movements?

I have 1 brief question and a brief 2 parter,

The first: what items of note are remaining in the house from James Garfield’s administration?

The second: since the house is a historic structure, what kind of precautions are made to avoid incidents of damage that occur in the daily life of a space that is being occupied and currently lived in? (Such as running kids, loose pets, etc.) And, have there been notable accidents that led to damage of items inside the house or even the house itself?

Thank you for any responses.

Thanks for doing the AMA!

Does the White House hold any collections of written documents (whether manuscript or print)? If so, what is the oldest document held there? Or else what are some of the most important documents held there?

What can you tell me about the cornerstone of the White House? What is it made of? Where is it? When was it laid? Who laid it and is there anything of significance inside of it?

Which President was the first to have their children live in the White House?

Is there anywhere in particular I should look to get some context for the Dakota 38+2 from the executive side of things?

Wow this is amazing!

How are White House chefs hired? Are there any pencils qualifications to have to cook for the executive?

Is there someone who keeps track of the historical artifacts at the White House to ensure occupants, visitors, employees don’t take them for their own personal benefit or keep them when they leave office?

Oldest piece of furniture?

What are the quirkiest things about the living area?

Who was the first White House streaker documented?

Why is it white?

Did epstein really kill himself?

Why is the White House a white marble when Greek marble was actually painted a variety of colors? It's from my understanding that the White House was created to look like structures like the Parthenon

What president was involved in the most interesting scandal(s), in your personal opinion?

Are there limitations to what you can say about presidents? Like slander clauses and such. Follow up question to that, does your job get throttled in any capacity by trying to cover up parts of history that negatively effect current administration as an example.