Although it is common knowledge that the President of the United States lives in the White House, it is not very clear where the Vice President resides. So where is the vice president’s house in Washington DC?
The answer: the number one observatory circle, on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory at 34th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW (about a mile northeast of Georgetown University, near Embassy Row). The closest tube station is Woodley Park-Zoo. Look at a map.
The three-story Victorian mansion, designed by architect Leon E. Dessez, was originally built in 1893 as the home of the superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory. In 1974, Congress designated the house as the official residence of the Vice President. Until then, the vice presidents bought their own homes in Washington, DC. The Naval Observatory, located on the 72-acre property, continues to operate as a research facility where scientists make observations of the sun, moon, planets and stars.
The Observatory and the Vice President’s house are subject to strict security imposed by the Secret Service. Public tours of the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, are available, but on a limited basis.
Walter Mondale was the first vice president to move into the house. Since then it has been home to the families of Vice Presidents Bush, Quayle, Gore, Cheney and Biden. Vice President Mike Pence currently resides there with his wife Karen.
The brick home is 9,150 square feet and includes 33 rooms including a reception hall, living room, family room, porch, kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, a study, a study, and a pool.
Where the vice president works
The Vice President has an office in the west wing of the White House and his staff maintains a suite of offices in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, (located at 1650 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC) called the Ceremonial Office of the Vice President, which It is used for press interviews and meetings. The building, designed by architect Alfred Mullett, is a National Historic Landmark, built between 1871 and 1888. The building is one of the government’s most interesting with its granite, slate, and cast iron exterior.
It is the French style of architecture of the Second Empire.
The Ceremonial Office of the Vice President served as the Office of the Secretary of the Navy when the Executive Office Building housed the Departments of State, Navy and War. The room is decorated with ornamental stencils and allegorical symbols of the Navy. The floor is made of mahogany, white maple, and cherry. The vice president’s desk is part of the White House collection and was first used by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902.
The massive building has 553 rooms. In addition to the Office of the Vice President, the Executive Office Building houses some of the most powerful diplomats and politicians in the country, such as the Office of Management and Budget and the National Security Council.
