Kamala Harris takes up residence in Biden’s White House-adjacent guesthouse

Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff moved into Blair House temporarily amid renovations on her official residence, a Harris aide told the Washington Examiner.

The Pennsylvania Avenue property is the president’s guesthouse and is typically used to host visiting heads of state or other foreign dignitaries. Built in 1824, it sits steps away from the White House. The impending move was first reported by CBS News.

The house is also where the president-elect customarily stays the night before the inauguration.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden stayed there overnight on Tuesday, honoring the decades-old tradition.

Before former President Barack Obama’s swearing-in, his family spent a week there. After he asked if the family could move in early so his daughters could start school on time, Obama was rebuffed. A New York Times headline blared, ‘”SORRY, WE’RE BOOKED,’ WHITE HOUSE TELLS OBAMA.”

Former President Jimmy Carter began the tradition of staying there on the eve of the inauguration. He later nearly sued the Washington Post for libel after a story claimed he had the home bugged.

It isn’t known how long Harris and Emhoff will stay at Blair House.

Harris’s official residence at Number One Observatory Circle is located a few miles from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. at the U.S. Naval Observatory. It has been home to more than a half dozen vice presidents, dating back to Walter Mondale.

The 128-year-old property was refurbished by the U.S. Navy in 2001, delaying former Vice President Dick Cheney’s move-in date at the time.

The home requires a host of fixes — including repairs to the chimneys, among “other household maintenance” — an aide told CBS News. The renovations will be “more easily conducted with the home unoccupied.”