Random the U.S. Presidents' OTHER Houses (17 items)

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  (#1) Mount Vernon

  • Virginia, USA

  The Virginia plantation estate had been in the Washington family for decades before George Washington inherited it. He built Mount Vernon, the large home that still stands on it, using it as a retreat and expanding it to 11,000 square feet. The property also had a working farm, ranch, and, in keeping with the times, extensive slave quarters.

  It's estimated that Washington spent about 430 days there during his two terms, and after his death, it passed to his descendants. In 1858, the estate was falling apart and was bought by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, who still own and maintain it.
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  (#2) Monticello

  • Virginia, USA

  The most well-known Jeffersonian estate was Monticello, in Virginia. Jefferson designed and built the estate in the early 1770s, and continued to expand and remodel it after he became president, using European influences he picked up along the way. He used it as a retreat during his presidential term, and was laid to rest there after his death.

  Later, the property fell into disrepair because of family disputes, but was restored after being bought by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation in the 1920s. It's the only private home in the United States designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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  (#3) George H.W. Bush's Kennebunkport Compound

  The estate on Walker's Point in remote Kennebunkport has been in the Bush family since the late 19th century. President Bush made it his summer White House after spending most of his childhood there. Bush entertained foreign dignitaries there, and still spends summers there, though he primarily resides in Texas.

  The compound was damaged by storms in 1991, and Bush received a large payout from his flood insurance.
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  (#4) Ford's Lodge

  Gerald Ford was derided as being a clumsy goof, but he was actually an avid skier. So it's no surprise that he bought a large property in Vail, CO to use as a winter White House and ski getaway. Locals got used to the sight of "Jerry" zipping down the hill with Secret Service agents right behind, and reportedly buying his own tickets to use the ski lifts.

  The property changed hands multiple times after Ford's death, and in 2014, went on the market for $8.5 million - down from $14.9 million in 2008.
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  (#5) Sagamore Hill

  • Oyster Bay, New York, USA

  Roosevelt's family had summered in Oyster Bay, NY, for decades. So it was natural for Teddy to buy an 80 acre plot of land in tiny Cove Neck, just north of Oyster Bay, to build his vacation home, which he called Sagamore Hill. He spent much of his time not at the White House there, and passed away in the house in 1919. It underwent a $10 million restoration in 2015.
  
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  (#6) Kennedy Compound

  • Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA

  Perhaps no name evokes presidential power and luxury quite like "Kennedy." The family's Kennedy Compound, exemplifies this, with three massive houses on six acres in the tiny summer community of Hyannis Port, MA. The property had been in the Kennedy family for decades, and John F. Kennedy continued to expand it, buying and selling bits of it from various family members.

  It's now on the National Register of Historic Places, and still used for Democratic fundraisers.
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  (#7) Abraham Lincoln's Cottage

  President Lincoln and his family spent multiple summers in the north Washington, D.C. cottage on the grounds of what was then called the Soldiers' Home (now the Armed Forces Retirement Home.) It was there that he could escape both the heat of downtown D.C., and the pressure of Civil War politics. It was at the Cottage that Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation.
  
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  (#8) FDR's Springwood

  Roosevelt's home in Hyde Park, NY, was his birthplace, his lifelong residence, and eventually, his resting place. Roosevelt's father bought it in 1866, and the home was massively rebuilt and expanded over the decades. During his four terms, he used it as a summer White House, hosting royalty, foreign leaders, and celebrities.

  After his death in Warm Springs, GA, he was laid to rest at Springwood, and the property is now a National Historic Site.
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  (#9) Prairie Chapel Ranch

  • Texas, USA

  Bush's Crawford, TX ranch is notable both for its size (600 acres), and for the amount of time he spent there - over 500 days, or a year and a half of his presidency. The tiny town welcomed the President, who found solace in its solitude and remote location. Among his favorite activities there were running its many trails, driving his pickup truck (the only time he was allowed to drive), and clearing brush. Bush still owns the ranch, but has made Dallas his homebase.
  
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  (#10) Nixon's La Casa Pacifica

  Pat and Richard Nixon would spend their summers in a 10 room mansion in San Clemente, California that was dubbed the "Western White House." At some point, Nixon had made so many improvements to the property using taxpayer money that Congress passed a resolution calling for him to pay some of it back. In 2015, Sotheby's put the property on the market for a cool $75 million.
  
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  (#11) Eisenhower Cabin, Augusta National Golf Club

  President Eisenhower's love of golf was so intense that he had a cabin built on the course at Augusta National. The three floor, seven bedroom house was built specifically to the Eisenhower family's instructions, along with input from the Secret Service, and functioned as Ike's "Little White House" while he was there.

  Golfer Rory McIlroy later stayed in the Cabin, and described it as "deceptively big."
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  (#12) Eisenhower House

  • Newport, Rhode Island, USA

  It's not surprising that an old soldier like President Eisenhower would want to summer on a military base. In this case, he chose Fort Adams in Rhode Island. It's also not surprising that his enthusiasm for golf played a role in the decision, since it's close to the legendary course at Newport Country Club.

  Eisenhower spent his summers at the converted home of the Fort's commandant, and it was then deeded to the state of Rhode Island.
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  (#13) Poplar Forest

  • Virginia, USA

  Thomas Jefferson inherited a huge plantation of land in Virgina in 1773, and designed his own estate according to the popular style of the time. The main part of Poplar Forest was laid in 1806 (by slave labor), and built out over time. He spent little of his presidency there, but lived there afterwards, and the site is now a National Historical Site.
  
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  (#14) Little White House

  • Key West, Florida, USA

  Located in rural Warm Springs, GA, the Little White House was Franklin Roosevelt's personal retreat. He first went to the tiny Georgia community for polio treatment, and liked it so much he bought property there. The small house served as a refuge for the President, who lived in a small six-room house on a secluded plot of land.

  He continued to go there during World War II, and died there in April 1945.
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  (#15) Harry S. Truman Little White House

  • Florida, USA

  After 19 months in office without a break, Truman was exhausted and ordered to take a vacation in a warm climate. He chose a converted submarine base in Key West, FL, that had previously been stayed in by William Howard Taft and Thomas Edison (not at the same time.)

  Technological advances allowed Truman to make the home a functioning presidential headquarters, and he did an enormous amount of official business there. The house was later deeded to the state of Florida, and used as a retreat for several other presidents.
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  (#16) Rancho del Cielo

  • California, USA

  Nancy and Ronald Reagan purchased the sprawling estate in Santa Barbara, CA, in 1974. The compound served as Reagan's Western White House, and he spent long periods of time in both summer and winter there, entertaining leaders and writing legislation.

  The Reagans sold the property to a conservative foundation in 1998.
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  (#17) Johnson's LBJ Ranch

  Lyndon Johnson's "Texas White House" was his base of operations for almost 20% of his term. He was born in the tiny nearby town of Johnson City, and later built a massive ranch about 15 miles away. He'd ride horses and take meetings there, while relaxing with a variety of amenities he added over the years.

  The property is now a National Historical Park, and the Johnson family continues donating land to expand the site.
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  (#18) Nixon's Florida White House

  Nixon had both a summer and winter White House, retreating to the island of Key Biscayne, FL in the cold months. His Florida White House, like the California one, was significantly rebuilt at taxpayer expenses, including adding a helicopter pad. As the Watergate scandal unfolded, Nixon would retreat there more and more, though he headed to California after his resignation. The property was razed in 2004.
  

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