--- title: The White House Fire of 1814: Why It's Still a Serious Matter description: Aug. 24, 1814: British forces set fire to the White House canonical: https://time.com/3997040/1814-white-house-fire/ author: Jennifer Latson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-24T14:30:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:29.686Z article:section: History og:title: The White House Fire of 1814: Why It's Still a Serious Matter og:description: Aug. 24, 1814: British forces set fire to the White House og:url: https://time.com/3997040/1814-white-house-fire/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5df2bf89357aa443/69885f32196cf4af7b0378b9/wh.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: A view of the Capitol after the conflagration of the 24th August 1814. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The White House Fire of 1814: Why It's Still a Serious Matter twitter:description: Aug. 24, 1814: British forces set fire to the White House twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5df2bf89357aa443/69885f32196cf4af7b0378b9/wh.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why the White House Fire Still Matters > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Take a Tour of the Capital Dome and See Why It Needs Repair [Watch (HLS stream): Take a Tour of the Capital Dome and See Why It Needs Repair](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6zuady2c.m3u8) (2:32)  _Published 2013-12-20. With 1,300 cracks, the U.S. Capital Dome is long overdue for a touch-up._ by [Jennifer Latson](https://time.com/author/jennifer-latson/) ## Jennifer Latson Aug 24, 2015 2:30 PM UTC  A view of the Capitol after the conflagration of Aug. 24, 1814. A view of the Capitol after the conflagration of Aug. 24, 1814. Universal History Archive / Getty Images by [Jennifer Latson](https://time.com/author/jennifer-latson/) ## Jennifer Latson Aug 24, 2015 2:30 PM UTC When Americans remember the War of 1812 — [if we remember it at all](http://time.com/3154675/white-house-burning-war-1812/) — we typically recall the stinging losses it entailed: dominion over Canada, for one, along with many of the brand-new buildings in our nation’s young capital. While we won the war, these humiliating deprivations made it “the bucktoothed stepsister of American military victories,” as [TIME put it ](http://time.com/76284/1812-war-commemorate-washington/)last year. On this day, Aug. 24, in 1814, following their victory at the Battle of Bladensburg, British forces marched on Washington and set fire to the White House — as well as the Capitol, the Library of Congress, and the U.S. Treasury, among other buildings. It was a low point in the war, and our entire military history, as [_National Geographic_ notes](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/remembering-when-white-house-was-burning-president-was-hiding-and-u-was-close-to-collapse/), when Americans saw “their capital burned, their Army literally running away, and President Madison and his wife, Dolley, forced to abandon the White House… with the president’s dinner still on the table.” British officers helped themselves to the food and wine before torching the place, [according to TIME](http://time.com/3154591/burning-of-washington-200th-anniversary/). It’s no surprise, then, that the War of 1812 doesn’t get the same attention in American history books as the Revolutionary War. But [some historians say](http://nation.time.com/2013/05/08/six-weeks-that-saved-the-nation/) it doesn’t deserve its bad rap: It went a long way toward establishing America’s national identity and its reputation as an international superpower. Three weeks after being routed in Washington, after all, the American military bounced back at Baltimore, handing the British a dramatic defeat that inspired Francis Scott Key to write [_The Star-Spangled Banner_](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,761993,00.html). And while scorch marks are still visible on some White House walls, the past two centuries have put a lot of water under the bridge between the U.S. and the U.K. When British Prime Minister David Cameron visited the White House in 2012, Obama joked that his predecessors had “really lit the place up,” per _National Geographic_. Others think it’s still too soon to make light of the famous fire, however. The British embassy in Washington learned this lesson the hard way when it commemorated the 200th anniversary of the fire on Twitter last year. Embassy officials [tweeted a photo](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/25/british-embassy-tweet-white-house-burning-1814) of a cake topped with a model of the White House — adorned with glowing sparklers. According to _The Guardian_, outraged Americans took issue with the British display of levity. One tweeted back “WWHHAATT??? Is this suppose \[sic\] to be funny?” It was, according to the British embassy, which apologized for ruffling any feathers. “We meant to mark an event in history & celebrate our strong friendship today,” embassy officials replied. **_Read more from 1967 about the burning of Washington and other military-history lowlights, here in the TIME archives_**: [Divided We Stand: The Unpopularity of U.S. Wars](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,844001,00.html) ### See Washington D.C. as a Winter Wonderland  Snow falls at dusk by the White House in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015, Jacquelyn Martin—AP  A snow-plough cleans the snow in front of the US Capitol building in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Snow covers the Tidal Basin in front of Jefferson Memorial in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Snow covers the Tidal Basin in front of the Washington Memorial in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  A man takes a photo of the snow covered Iwo Jima memorial in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Snow covers "The Breadline" sculpture at the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  A snow-plough cleans the snow on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington on Feb. 16, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images _Read next:_ [_How the Star-Spangled Banner Became the National Anthem_](http://time.com/3318644/star-spangled-banner/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Download TIME’s mobile app for iOS to have your world explained wherever you go_](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/time-mobile/id328218429) ## Transcript >> The Capitol Dome, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. We got a rare tour inside the dome, more than 200 feet up in the air where you can really see some of the damage-- a long crack in the window, rust eroding the dome's ornaments and underlying structure. Architects count more than 1, 300 cracks in the Capitol Dome caused by wind, rain, and sun threatening the historic frescos inside. >> When the rust develops between the plates, it binds the plates from moving, and that creates enormous pressures within the ironwork. >> This spring, a massive two- year renovation will start. It's no easy task. The dome is made of 9 million pounds of iron. >> So, I'm gonna lift this coffer-- >> With an incredibly thin exterior shell as demonstrated here. When the Capitol was first built in the late 1700s, this dome didn't exist. It was added 150 years ago. Taking us through narrow, steep staircases behind its walls, the architect was eager to show off the dome's beauty, why it is so important to restore. >> To get up here, we had to walk hundreds of stairs-- very narrow, very treacherous staircase. But boy, was it worth it. Look at the view. Up and all the way down. >> From famous frescos, including Washington ascending to heaven to dramatic acoustics high inside the rotunda. >> So, you had to be very careful what you're saying when you're up here because anyone on the opposite side can hear you. Please be very careful and dock as you go through the doorway. >> Then, to the breath- taking view outside. >> All the way up here, 260 feet in the air, this is what you get to see. >> It's really clear from up here, the Capitol is the focal point of the city's design. >> The access of the mall, Maryland Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, all radiating from the central point. >> Starting this spring, the dome will be wrapped in scaffolding and stay that way through the renovation. Congress already approved $ 59 million for the restoration. Still, these costs tend to explode. >> So, can you guarantee that you're not gonna go over budget? >> Guarantee. That's a big word. Well, we're pretty confident, I'll give you that. >> It has been meticulously planned in the works for years. >> It's just something that has to happen. 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