Kamala Harris delaying moving into vice-presidential residence, know why

PTI photo

WASHINGTON: US Vice President Kamala Harris is temporarily staying at the historic Blair House as her official residence is undergoing repairs, a spokesperson said. Across the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, Blair House is the official guest house of the US President.

The official residence of the vice president is located within the Naval Observatory Complex and is about four miles northwest of the White House. The vice president's chief spokesperson, Symone Sanders, told reporters here on Saturday that Harris moved in on Thursday. "They are living there while repairs are done at the vice president's residence at the Naval Observatory," Sanders said.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that crews are working on new liners for the chimneys and other tasks in the 33-room home, which was built in 1893. Blair House, built as a private house in 1824, is the guest house of the US President since 1942, where visiting foreign dignitaries normally stay.

In recent years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other Indian leaders have stayed in this historic building that has 120 antique-filled rooms.

"It's such a cozy and beautiful place. There is so much history here, and it tells the great story of our country. So many presidents have passed through that black and white marble threshold. Yes, it has a lot of square footage, but it feels like a home," Capricia Marshall, a former chief of protocol and current board member of the Blair House Restoration Fund, was quoted as saying by The Washington Times.

President Joe Biden and the First Lady spend the night before their inauguration here.