Although George Washington never lived in the White House, he greatly influenced what it became. Washington selected the site, and solicited architectural designs for the president's residence. The White House as we know it comes in two images, depending on whether you look at it from the perspective of the Rose Garden, or the front of the building as tourists see it, although either is infinitely recognizable for Americans.
But it could have looked very different. The president personally considered at least six designs, but the runners-up were immediately consigned to history. Many of the original drawings are archived at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, and three of these are not publicly available. HouseFresh has worked closely with the Maryland Center to access these alternative visions of the White House and recreate them in an exclusive new set of digital renders.
Shown above is an illustration of the plan submitted by Thomas Jefferson, which was erroneously attributed to Abraham Faws. See all six original submissions for the White House at HouseFresh. While the design that was ultimately built turned out to be the best, any of them would have ended up as familiar in our minds as the White House we have. -via Bored Panda