Every U.S. president except George Washington lived in the White House, and despite America’s current anxiety about its political leaders, the home that Abigail Adams called “the great castle” remains an alluring draw for visitors who come to the nation’s capital from all 50 states, and around the globe.

More than just the home of the president, the iconic building symbolizes democracy and freedom throughout the world. The White House has been burned, renovated, nearly demolished – and redecorated many times, with each resident and his family leaving their mark in history. For those with a more intense connection to this building -- presidential scholars and historical preservationists as well as family members of presidents, living and dead -- preserving this history amounts to more than venerating the majesty of the White House. It’s also a way telling the continuingly unfolding American story.

This goal is why the White House Historical Association is launching a new event, the Presidential Sites Summit, with the intention of making it a biannual affair. The first such summit kicks off this weekend with a focus not just on the executive mansion but on the network of presidential sites around the nation.

“We’ve identified about 200 presidential sites across the country,” White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin told RCP. “A lot of them are small, volunteer-run, small-budget operations.”

McLaurin’s hope is that the WHHA can act as the hub between these sites and serve as a resource for them. The four-day conference includes panel discussions and lectures on subjects ranging from digitalizing historical records to more timely – and timeless – ones such as presidents and the press. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are planning to host a reception for some attendees at the White House.

A number of presidential descendants -- many of whom are already involved in presidential libraries or sites -- plan to attend the summit to talk about what the White House means to them. Some of them spoke to RCP ahead of the event and discussed the importance of preserving the building itself as part of a greater American legacy. This dedication to the physical structure of the White House has long been a priority. After the War of 1812, when the British burned down the executive mansion, work immediately began to rebuild it.

“The reason they did it was because of the symbol. It’s a symbol of our democracy,” said Clifton Truman Daniel, the oldest grandson of President Harry Truman. “It’s the White House, but it’s a symbol of the executive, the legislative and the judicial. It was important to them then.” He said his grandfather shared that sentiment when he undertook a major renovation of the building in the 1940s. “They didn’t want to leave their national symbol in ruins. My grandfather felt similarly.”

Maintenance on the White House had been neglected during the Great Depression and World War II and the building was found to be in danger of collapsing. Truman added the balcony on the South Portico as well as a complete remodel of the structure. According to his grandson, Harry Truman told construction crews they could do what they needed inside, but the outside of the building must look as it always had, down to the last brick.

First ladies have often made the White House renovation part of their platform. Jacqueline Kennedy, a lover of art and history, famously redecorated the house with antique pieces, and oversaw the hiring of the first curator for the White House. Her changes were later made into a television special for CBS, which drew over 80 million viewers.

While Mrs. Kennedy’s restoration focused primarily on the arts and aesthetics of the mansion, other first ladies turned their attention to more modern advances. Christopher Nixon Cox, grandson of President Nixon and wife Pat, said his grandmother was responsible for the lighting of the exterior, which is now a major attraction for visitors. She also made the house more accessible by installing wheelchair ramps and had visitor pamphlets translated into foreign languages.

The physical structure of the house represents so much of American history, but given today’s highly polarized political climate, the summit will steer clear of the daily political fight. The focus will not touch on the current administration or any of the political baggage of past occupants. “There’s nothing about the summit that is particularly focused on now. It’s really about whatever these sites are facing from [the descendants’] perspective,” said McLaurin.

Presidential descendants say that the reason the building is so special is because it has remained above the fray. “I think the White House always transcends occupants. That will always be a permanent feature of our political legacy,” said Cox.

Tweed Roosevelt, great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, agreed. “It’s an institution which has its own life no matter who the occupant is,” he said. Roosevelt acknowledged that his family legacy is more positive than many others as Roosevelt is widely remembered for his conservation of public lands and as the “trust breaker” who took on Big Business monopolies. More to the point of the summit, Teddy Roosevelt – in evidence in the capital these days mainly as one of the Washington Nationals’ “Racing Presidents” -- is also credited with giving the White House its current name after being known as the “President’s Palace” and the “Executive Mansion.”

Jack Massee McKinley, a descendent of both Grover Cleveland and William McKinley, said that each leader has his good and bad attributes, but that every new administration can learn from the mistakes of the past.

He hinted at another pitfall for presidential families besides being unloved: being forgotten. Cleveland and McKinley “are often not remembered as two of the greater presidents, but I think historians and presidential authors and writers have brought the two of them to the forefront,” said Jack McKinley. “People remember them as public servants, and I think every presidential [site] and presidential family has that obligation to make sure the American people remember their ancestors.”