Key facts
- Vice President JD Vance and Usha Vance have moved into the official residence at Number One Observatory Circle.
- The residence is located on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.
- The 9,150-square-foot home, built in 1893, features six bedrooms, a dining room, a garden room, a study, and an attic.
- Number One Observatory Circle officially became the vice presidential residence in 1974.
- Walter Mondale was the first vice president to reside in the home full-time, starting in 1977.
Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, have moved into the official residence at Number One Observatory Circle, located on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. The couple, along with their three children, will reside in the historic 9,150-square-foot mansion, which features 33 rooms including six bedrooms, a dining room, a garden room, a study, and an attic.
The residence, established in 1830 as part of the U.S. Naval Observatory, was originally built in 1893 for the observatory's superintendent. It began housing the chief of naval operations in 1923. Vice presidents previously lived in their own homes until Congress allocated funds for the refurbishment of Number One Observatory Circle for vice presidential use in 1974, making it the official residence that year. While Nelson Rockefeller, Vice President under President Gerald Ford, hosted events there, he did not live in the home. Walter Mondale, serving under President Jimmy Carter, became the first vice president to reside in the home full-time in 1977. The residence has also been associated with ghost stories, including one recounted by Mondale's daughter, Eleanor.