Also known as The President’s Guest House, Blair House is a governmental residence in Washington D.C. used to house visiting dignitaries as guests of the president, since the 1940s. Because of its elite clientele and owner, the house has been dubbed ‘the world’s most exclusive hotel’ by Time magazine. This post gives the rest of us a chance to look inside Blair House, from its charming gardens to its iconic sitting room:

Built in 1824, Blair House was originally a four-floor three-bay brick house, which was purchased 12 years after construction by Francis Preston Blair Jr, a newspaper publisher and father of Montgomery Blair – the Postmaster General under President Lincoln. During the Blairs’ incumbencies at the house various strategic meetings and conferences were held there, which determined the fate of the American Civil War, resulting in the building earning itself a landmark designation in 1939.

The family decided to build a property next door, for Francis’ daughter, Elizabeth, and son-in-law Samuel Philips Lee, which became known as the Lee House. Shortly after the Blairs began leasing Blair House to the U.S. government, and in 1943 the house was purchased by the government as a guest house.

Throughout the late 1940s President Truman and his family lived in Blair House while The White House was renovated. Blair House and Lee House were later unified along with a property on the other side, Peter Parker House, to create a large, singular property known collectively as Blair House.

The residence has gone on to host a spectrum of global politicians and heads of state, from Queen Elizabeth II and Charles de Gaulle to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. The house also houses each president-elect, and any former president’s family during state funerals of former presidents. The house was recently used as a home for Vice President Kamala Harris for three months in 2021, while the Vice Presidential residence of One Observatory Circle was being renovated.

The interiors of Blair House have been meticulously cared for, from the English pine panelling to the China cabinets. The complex comprises of more than 120 rooms over 60,600 square feet. There are 14 bedrooms with 14 ensuites, 3 formal dining rooms and 2 kitchens. Naturally, there are also conveniences such as a gym, a laundry complex and 2 conference rooms.

The Jackson Place Sitting Room and adjacent Jackson Place Dining room (above) feature oil-on-canvas murals installed in the 1980s by Robert Jackson, an artist who depicted Washington landmarks along to Potomac river, the room also features 19th century antiques and a statuette of Andrew Jackson which sands on a cherry wood plinth from Jackson’s estate.

The Truman Study (below, in red) features a number of paintings and artefacts original to the house, including portraits of Elizabeth Blair Lee and Samuel Philips Lee, either side of the 1902 fireplace mantel, installed during Harry S. Truman’s residency at the house. Many of the rooms are outfitted with English antiques including a set of walnut and olive wood drawers in the Lee Dining Room (between two windows, under the gilt mirror, below), purchased by the Blair family during a 1920 trip to Britain where they were purchased for £49.10.

18 full-time staff oversee the upkeep of the home, including the pretty courtyard-style gardens, which were cultivated during a 1980s renovation of the property. The garden was created, not only as a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the nation’s capital, but as a reception space, which can fit 400 guests. The creation and maintenance of the gardens were funded by Arthur and Janet Ross, after whom the gardens are named.

Find out more about Blair House, view the guest book or donate to the upkeep at the official website here, alternatively, take a look at other historical residences by browsing the ‘Historical Homes‘ category, including The White House, and royal residences across Britain.

All images: Highsmith, Carol M., Library of Congress