The White House began to be built in 1792, but it was not completed until eight years later. Every American president lived in it except for George Washington, although he did have a 1. ______ majority part in designing it. 2. ______ The government held a competition to choose the best design for the president’s house. The winner was a young man of South 3. ______ Carolina, James Hoban. His design was a three-level house of stone. And President Washington made some changes in the winning design. He made the house long and wider, and changed 4. ______ it into a two-storied house instead of three. The second president, John Adams, was first to live in the White House. When he and his 5. ______ wife moved onto the new house in November, 1800, work was still 6. ______ going on, although the main live area was completed. The whole 7. ______ work did not finish until the administration of the 3rd president, Thomas Jefferson. Twelve years later, the British army invaded Washington and burned the White House in 1814. The fire completely destroyed the inside of the building and experts said the White House was so 8. ______ dangerous to live in. Later on workers rebuilt the inside of the White House. More offices were added, most of which underground. 9. ______ None of the work, however, changed the appearing of the building. 10. ______ Many people asked why the president’s house is called the White House. Historians say it has been so called simply because it was painted white.