Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, will temporarily move to Blair House, which is close to the White House, before moving to the vice president’s residence at the Naval Observatory, according to a Harris aide.
Seven vice presidents called the Observatory Number One Circle from their home while in office, starting with Vice President Walter Mondale. The home located at the U.S. Naval Observatory is not open to the public and is only a few miles from the White House. CBS News was the first to report that Harris and her husband would not immediately move into the vice president’s residence due to “home repairs that are most easily done with the house unoccupied”.
According to an aide, some of the repairs include replacing chimney linings and “other household maintenance”. The requests did not originate from Harris or Emhoff, but from the Navy.
Although Harris and her husband own a condominium in Washington, DC, the house does not meet security protocols for an incumbent vice president.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
Blair House is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, across the street from the White House. Built in 1824, the house is used to host official guests of the president, including foreign heads of state. Presidents-elect and their families have also spent the eve of Blair House’s inauguration for the past 40 years. More recently, President Joe Biden and some members of his family stayed at Blair House the night before his oath as president.
The vice president’s office did not specify how long Harris and Emhoff would stay in their new temporary home.