The Insane Security of the White House

Video hosted and narrated by Fred Mills. This video contains paid promotion for Vialytics.

IT'S ONE of our planet’s most iconic buildings, a symbol of the US and the most secure family home in the world.

But deep inside the White House, the President does a lot more than just eat, sleep, binge The B1M and repeat – this is where some of the world’s most consequential decisions are taken and when you’ve got stuff like that going on, keeping unwanted people out and critical secrets in is the name of the game.

Over the centuries this seemingly simple neoclassical house has – threat-by-threat – quietly become one of the most subtly fortified sites in the world. There’s everything from snipers and missiles to nuclear-proof bunkers, layer upon layer of fencing and secret underground tunnels to protect the administration and First Family.

You’ve got an office, home and event space above ground, and a secret labyrinth of operation centres and surveillance beneath. It's world famous and yet still shrouded in mystery.

Grab a cuppa, strap in and prepare to be fully briefed on the insane security of the White House.

Above: The north portico of the White House.

Where it all began

Now, before bringing you up to speed on White House security, we need to make sure you’re suitably briefed on the site. We start way back in 1791 when the White House first started coming to life. Following a competition to design the mansion, Irish born architect, James Hoban saw his vision begin to take shape.

As was sadly common at the time, much of the construction was carried out with the forced labour of enslaved people.

Using sandstone, the White House had more than 100 rooms spread over three floors. It would go on to be changed and updated multiple times over the years.

Above: The floor plan for the White House in the early 1880s.

In 1814, the British started a fire that grew so large the glow could be seen 50 miles away. It was only heavy rainfall that stopped the President’s house from being flattened entirely.

Notable updates throughout the 19th century included the addition of terraces to the east and west and the iconic semicircular portico to the south. The West Wing was added in 1902 to create more office space. It was only meant to be temporary but in 1909 President William Taft decided he wanted it doubled in size.

Taft’s real architectural legacy came with the construction of the Oval Office. Inspired by the Blue Room inside the mansion – that’s the original bit of the building – the oval shape dates back to President Washington’s Philadelphia mansion, the original site of the US Capitol. And this room has been the main workspace of the President ever since.

Cementing the future of the West Wing, President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded it again in 1934, from 15,000 to 40,000 square feet. The East Wing meanwhile wasn’t constructed until 1942, again to create more office space.

By the late 1940s, after standing for a century and a half, the White House was starting to show its age. America’s most famous home was in danger of collapsing. The beams supporting the structure were falling apart and President Truman regularly complained of popping sounds and drafts.

Then in 1948, following reports it was unsafe to live in, the President left the White House. Everything bar the outer walls was rebuilt. Deep foundations were dug below the house and the interior was fitted out with a steel frame skeleton. More than 120 reinforced concrete columns were poured to a depth of 25 feet to support the inner walls and two new sub-basement levels were excavated.

Above: The White House was stripped bare as part of major renovations, ordered by President Truman.

It wasn’t until 1952 when Truman and his family finally moved back in. And this, aside for some renovations and tech upgrades, is by and large the White House we know today.

The White House today

Now on the one hand, the White House is a ridiculously secure building full of mystery and international secrets. On the other, we as the public are welcomed to apply to have a nosey around this grand old house.

There are 132 rooms and what feels like a disproportionate 35 bathrooms. They’re spread across six levels: a two storey basement, the Ground Floor, First Floor, Second Floor and Third Floor. And it’s all accessed using eight staircases and three lifts.

The structure has more than 400 doors, nearly 150 windows and 28 fireplaces for those cold DC winters. If you can't make it on for a tour, let us take you through some of the key aspects of the White House. Starting in the two storey East Wing, it's where the Office of the First Lady or First Gentleman is based. But, dig down much, much deeper and you’ll discover the Presidential Emergency Operations Centre or PEOC.

Built as a concrete air-raid shelter following the attack on Pearl Harbour, it’s fitted out with everything you’d need to communicate with the outside world. It’s where then Vice President Dick Cheney and eventually President Bush were moved to on 9/11 and it's rumoured to be able to withstand a nuclear attack.

In the iconic Executive Mansion you’ll find the State Rooms, spread across the Ground and First Floors with the residence – where the first family actually lives – above. A corridor connects the East and West Wings, stretching all the way through the main house.

Then there's the West Wing. Along the Ground Floor there are offices for the Secret Service and Homeland Security. The Navy Mess is there too. Since 1951 the Navy’s best culinary minds have catered for the White House.

Next door is the famous Situation Room which has recently received a $50 million upgrade. It was built following the Bay of Pigs Invasion and was used for updates throughout the Vietnam War by Lyndon Johnson, it’s from here George W. Bush launched the Iraq War and it’s where Barack Obama watched the Navy SEAL Team raid against Bin Laden.

It’s a lot more than just a room too. It’s actually a 5,500 square foot network made up of various spaces. In fact, it used to be a bowling alley and you'll be glad to know the lane still exists - t’s now sandwiched between a flower shop and carpenters shop under the North Portico.

On the First Floor of the West Wing is the Press Briefing Room, the original site of the indoor swimming pool, the Cabinet Room and the Oval Office - to name just a few of the White House spaces. So, how do you keep all of that secure?

CLASSIFIED: Security at the White House

It’s safe to say, security at the White House has evolved over the years. Back in 1842, the author Charles Dickens visited the White House and when nobody answered the door he just let himself in. We wouldn’t recommend trying to do that in the modern day...

While as a B1M fan I personally trust your character, security staff can never be too sure. You can book ahead to tour the White House, but if you’re planning a visit, requests have to be made three weeks in advance to allow for background checks.

Everything from the grounds to the skies is on permanent 24/7 watch. Any pilots trying to take an unplanned shortcut through Washington airspace will be promptly escorted away by military aircraft - or worse, warned about the likelihood of an incoming missile.

Short to medium range surface-to-air-missiles are stationed at key locations around Washington. They’re ready to react at a moment’s notice. It’s the most restricted patch of sky in the country.

The nearest airport to the White House is Reagan Washington, four miles away. Since 9/11, a Flight Restricted Zone has extended 15 nautical miles around the airport with strict restrictions over entering the airspace. There’s also Prohibited Area 56 or P-56. It’s existed for 50 years and covers the White House, the National Mall and the residence of the Vice-President.

On the ground, let’s start with the fence around the perimeter - simple but effective. In 2023 it was raised from six and a half feet to thirteen. That might not sound too high, but altogether it’s 3,500 feet of thick iron bars fitted with pressure sensors, anti-climb and anti-intrusion technology. Thanks to help from the deep concrete footings, it’s also blast and ram proof. A far cry from the wooden fence of the 1800s.

Above: The White House is protected by 3,500 feet of thick iron bars fitted with pressure sensors, anti-climb and anti-intrusion technology.

A range of infrared cameras and a roof-mounted radar system highlight intruders to security services. The 150 windows are fitted with the strongest bulletproof glass on the planet. In 2011 several shots were fired at the White House from a semi-automatic rifle. None managed to penetrate the bulletproof glass.

Protecting the ‘People’s House’ is tasked to the Secret Service. Whilst it’s not publicly known how many agents are stationed at the White House, we do know that at all hours, well over a thousand officers are placed there and at key locations around Washington. Groups of armed agents patrol the grounds and a team of snipers keep watch from the roof of the Executive Mansion.

Yet, with all that said, there are still those who’ve tried their luck at a very ill-advised break-in. In 2014, before the fence was upgraded, a two year old managed to squeeze through the gates to the north and delay a presidential address. How many lockdowns at ultra-secure government facilities had you caused by the age of two?

Of course there have been multiple more dramatic and even fatal attempts. Our unequivocal advice is please don’t bother - book a tour like everyone else.

The White House Tunnels

Conspiracies about the White House are a dime a dozen. It’s no secret the President’s mansion is surrounded by exactly that: secrets. From east to west, top to bottom, but most notably, down below. The Tunnels.

It’s popular opinion that underneath the White House, there’s a system of passageways. Here’s what we know for sure:

- There’s a tunnel that leads down to the President’s Emergency Operations Centre.
- Then between the East Wing and the Treasury Building, there’s another 761 foot escape route.
- Less substantiated rumours include underground passages to the Pentagon, the Capitol building, Blair House and the Residence of the Vice-President.

As you can see, the rumours of these tunnels stretch far and wide, quite literally. But further information is well above our clearance level.

Above: Unsubstantiated rumours see tunnels stretched across Washington.

Mission complete

The White House is a lot more than just a big imposing mansion. It’s steeped in history. A survivor of fires, plane crashes and multiple wars. A place of history altering decisions and family memories alike.

Architecturally significant and a world renowned landmark. But even with the endless renovations, at its heart James Hoban’s original White House lives on.

And with a new family moving in soon, who knows what the next chapter of history will bring.


This video and article contains paid promotion for Vialytics.

Video narrated and hosted by Fred Mills. Additional footage and images courtesy of Library of Congress, White House Historical Association/White House Collection, Barrack Obama Presidential Library and Museum/NARA, Google Earth, Searchlight Pictures, LBJ Library, Reagan Library, CBS, C-SPAN, BBC, Fox, REPUBFAN12, CNN, ABC, NBC, TriStar Pictures, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Studios.

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