Kamala Harris frustrated to be still ‘living out of suitcases’ after two months as VP while official residence renovated
The VP’s future home, One Observatory Circle, is a 9,000-plus square foot home built in 1893
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Your support makes all the difference.More than two months after being sworn in as vice president, Kamala Harris is still unable to move into her official residence due to ongoing renovations.
An administration source told CNN that it’s unclear why work is taking so long at the traditional home of vice presidents, on the grounds of the Naval Observatory.
Vice President Harris is reportedly getting “frustrated” according to another source, with the network saying that she is “ostensibly, living out of suitcases”.
For now, the vice president and her husband, second gentleman and Georgetown law professor Doug Emhoff, continue to live at Blair House, an official guest residence across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House.
Their future home, One Observatory Circle, is a 9,000-plus square foot home built in 1893. It is two and a half miles from the White House and has seen a multitude of projects to correct issues in recent years.
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Given the age and size of the building, repairs and upkeep are constant, in addition to the security requirements needed to house the nation’s second-in-command.
There is also an ongoing contract worth $3.8million for “plumbing, heating, air-conditioning contractors” according to government records.
However none of the contracts appear to indicate why the vice president cannot move in, according to a review by CNN, though an administration source said that the work included renovating the chimneys.
Elizabeth Haenle, who managed the residence for former vice president Dick Cheney, told the network that it is not unusual for there to be a gap between occupants to allow time for upgrades that are more easily done with the building empty.
Perhaps the biggest luxury of the vice president’s official home is that it sits in 13 private acres within the 72 acres of the Naval Observatory, affording a calm, private retreat — with a pool — a short drive from downtown Washington.
Blair House meanwhile, though luxurious, is a more formal setting in the heart of town, filled with museum-quality antiques and somewhat lacking the comforts of home.
Ms Harris has been seen visiting her future home at Naval Observatory. Approximately three weeks ago she stopped by to look around for an hour.
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