Where does the vice president live in DC?

WASHINGTON ( DC Ne w s Now ) — Despite the close working relationship between U.S. presidents and vice presidents, when it comes to where they live, they’re not exactly neighbors.

Since the late 1970s, when Walter Mondale served as the second in command, vice presidents and their families have called the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) home.

According the the White House’s website , the nineteenth-century house at Number One Observatory Circle in Northwest D.C. was built in 1893. It was intended to be the home of the superintendent of the USNO. The site explains: “the house was so lovely that in 1923, the chief of naval operations kicked out the superintendent so he could move in himself.”

As an interesting note, vice presidents and their families, historically, lived in their own homes until the 1970s. The cost of securing private homes grew significantly over the years, and in 1974, Congress agreed to refurbish the house at the observatory, turning it into a home for the vice president.

When it comes to office space, you still find vice presidents working out of the West Wing of the White House. In addition to that, the vice president and his/her staff have office space in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), located next to the West Wing on the White House grounds. The office there, known as the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office, served as the Navy Secretary’s Office when the EEOB housed the State, Navy, and War Departments. Now, the vice president uses the office for meetings and media interviews.

By the way, without a lot of traffic, the drive from the White House to the U.S. Naval Observatory is about 12 to 15 minutes. (If you’re familiar with D.C. traffic, you know that drive time may be rare.)

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