Around the White House in DC

The Neighborhood of the President

The area around the White House is a protected "Forbidden City" at times where the Executive Mansion resides right across the street with Lafayette Park, a welcome patch of green in an area heavily populated with much taller office buildings. Nearby are parking garages and tourist-oritneted establishments, but a number of important buildings are nearby, for ecxample the Federal Court of Appeals is also stationed at Lafayette Park, close enough that, if needed, the President could literally rush a pardon across the the way

Yes, the location of the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse, which houses the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in Lafayette Square is intentional. The courthouse is located just a few blocks from the White House, which is significant because the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is considered to be the second-most powerful court in the country after the Supreme Court. The court hears appeals from federal agencies and lower courts in Washington D.C. and has jurisdiction over many cases involving the federal government. The proximity of the courthouse to the White House underscores the important role that the D.C. Circuit plays in shaping federal policy and interpreting federal law, particularly as it pertains to the executive branch of the government.

Protecting the President

The phenomenon of the White House encircled by a tall (13 foot) iron fence is a recent addition from 2020, replacing the previous fence which was eight feet tall and installed in the 1970s

Pennsylvania Avenue passed directly between the White House and Lafayette Park until 1995 when it was closed down due to security concerns

Footnotes:

May 20, 1995: The day Pennsylvania Avenue closed by Gregory Korte at USA TODAY, 2015

Original page March 9, 2023 |Updated June 23, 2024