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Number One Observatory Circle in Washington, DC, is the official residence of the vice president.
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Located on the grounds of the Naval Observatory about 2.5 miles north of the White House, it is hidden from public view by shrubbery and doesn’t offer public tours.
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Every vice president since 1977 has lived in the home.
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On January 7, Congress certified Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ 2020 election win.
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Take a look inside the private complex, where Vice President Mike Pence and his family currently reside and where Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will move this year.
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Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Joe Biden won’t be the only one getting a housing upgrade when he moves into the White House later this month as the 46th president of the United States.
The office of the vice president also comes with an official residence of its own.
Located on the grounds of the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, Number One Observatory Circle has been the official residence of the vice president since 1974. Walter Mondale, who served as the vice president under Jimmy Carter, was the first VP to call it home in 1977.
Vice President Mike Pence and his family currently live in the private complex, and in just a few weeks, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her family will become the eighth permanent residents of Number One Observatory Circle.
Before Pence, Joe Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, Dan Quayle, and George H.W. Bush lived in the home.
Despite its high-profile occupants, the home has remain shrouded in mystery over the years. There are no public tours of the house, and it is hidden from the street by shrubbery.
“Ask almost any American where the vice president lives, and you’re almost sure to get a look of confusion,” historian Charles Denyer writes in “Number One Observatory Circle,” his definitive book about the the VP’s home.
Here’s a look inside the historic, secluded residence.
Though just over 2.5 miles north of the White House, the vice president’s residence at Number One Observatory Circle feels worlds away.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
Built in 1893, the three-story hilltop mansion is located on the secluded grounds of the US Naval Observatory, where scientists study the sun, moon, and stars for navigational purposes.
Source: The White House, “Number One Observatory Circle”
For 30 years, the building served as the home of the superintendent of the US Naval Observatory. Then in 1923, it became the official residence for the chief of naval operations.
Source: The White House
In 1974, Congress designated the house as the home of the vice president.
Source: The White House
But the first vice president didn’t move in until three years later when Walter Mondale was elected second-in-command under President Jimmy Carter, historian Charles Denyer writes in his definitive book about the residence.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
The ground floor of Number One Observatory Circle consists of a reception hall, living room, sitting room, dining room, garden room, lounges, pantry kitchen, and veranda, according to Denyer.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
On the second floor are the master suite, another bedroom, a study, and a den. The third floor used to be servants’ quarters, but now has four bedrooms for family members.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
The main kitchen is located in the basement.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
Every vice president has lived there since Mondale, bringing their own unique touch to the home’s 9,150 square feet.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
George H.W. Bush installed a horseshoe pit on the grounds when he was vice president, Denyer writes.
Source: USA Today
Bush also installed a quarter-mile-long jogging track on the premises, which he used even after he became president in 1988 and moved south to the White House.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
When Al Gore’s family lived there, they would play games like catch, Frisbee, and touch football in the front yard. The residence is set on 12 of the Observatory’s 72 acres.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
The house features Queen Anne-style architecture, with an expansive veranda porch that wraps around the front corner.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
Since 1991, people have been able to donate to the non-profit Vice President’s Residence Foundation to help pay for decorating expenses.
Source: The Center for Public Integrity
When Dick Cheney and his family moved in, they decorated the home using a color scheme of creams and greens.
Source: The Washington Post
Dan Quayle added a swimming pool and exercise room during his tenure. In 2010, Joe Biden told reporters that Quayle was his “favorite vice president” because he helped build the pool.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
Jill Biden, Joe’s wife, was also grateful for past additions. “Each person has added something to make the home better for the next family,” she told The Washington Post in 2017.
Source: The Washington Post
She was also especially fond of the “serenity” of the place. “When times get tough, and there were some pretty tough times for the Bidens, you could sit outside and reflect. It was very healing,” Jill Biden told the Post.
Source: The Washington Post
In 2009, Biden let it slip that the vice president’s residence was home to a bunker, according to former Newsweek correspondent Eleanor Clift.
Source: Newsweek
While Biden’s team refuted the claim, neighbors backed up the story with complaints about mysterious and loud construction sounds in the wake of 9/11 when Cheney lived at the residence, according to Denyer.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
Numerous leaders and dignitaries have been to the residence over the years. For eight years in a row, Biden hosted Ireland’s Prime Minister Enda Kenny on St. Patrick’s Day.
Source: Medium
Before moving out, Jill Biden told the Post that the Pences would likely be surprised to find that the Observatory is a respite from the “hectic” nature of Washington life.
Source: The Washington Post
The Pences have lived in the Observatory since January 2017. After moving in, they posed for Inauguration Day photos on the front porch.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
Just like the White House, Number One Observatory Circle gets decked out for the holidays. The Pences have posed for official Christmas portraits, like the one here, in what appears to be the home’s sitting room.
Source: “Number One Observatory Circle”
The Pences have also gone all out for Halloween, decorating the home and greeting trick-or-treaters there.
Source: The White House
Like their predecessors, the Pences have hosted a broad range of guests, including politicians and world leaders.
Source: The White House
Each summer, the Pences have hosted a pool party for veterans.
In June 2017, US Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue joined Karen Pence to unveil the addition of beehives to the grounds.
Source: US Department of Agriculture
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her family will no doubt add their own touches to the historic residence when they move in this year. Though it remains to be seen whether she will enjoy the pool as much as President-elect Biden did.
Source: Business Insider
Editor’s note: Brennan Weiss contributed to an earlier version of this story.
Read the original article on Insider
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