The White House, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is the world's most closely watched address, yet its origins are surprisingly modest. It was designed by Irish architect James Hoban, who modelled it on the parliament building in Dublin. Hoban built it in 1800, then had to rebuild it in 1814 after the British burned it during the War of 1812. The name itself came later: Teddy Roosevelt made it official in 1901, formalising what people had long called it after the regular paint jobs needed to keep the scorched stonework presentable.

For most of its early history, there was no fence. Anyone could walk up and knock on the door, and during Andrew Jackson's 1829 inaugural party, supporters got so rowdy inside that staff lured them out with kegs of ale, then locked the doors behind them. Staffers reported the smell of cheese ground into the carpets for months.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours use the White House to trace the city's political geography, connecting it to the Capitol via Pennsylvania Avenue, explaining how the Treasury was placed deliberately to block the two buildings' sightlines, and exploring Lafayette Park's role in the building's history as cemetery, racetrack and, on one occasion, emergency party venue.