In light of the news that President Biden is dropping out of the 2024 election, and has endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, we’re resharing this story about Harris’s real estate from 2021.
President Joe Biden might be a self-professed real estate enthusiast but Vice President Kamala Harris has a mini empire of her own.
She spent nearly her entire life in California, save for moving to Quebec for middle and high schools and attending college at Howard University in D.C. She was born in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley, got her law degree at the University of California, Hastings College of Law, and was the district attorney of San Francisco and then the attorney general of California for two terms before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2017. So it’s no surprise that the Vice President has laid claim to a couple of notable pieces of real estate in her home state. Here is what we know about her houses—two in California, one in D.C.—which are worth about $8 million. Plus, a look at her new vice presidential digs at the Naval Observatory.
Vice President’s Residence, U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington D.C.
The Vice President’s residence at Number One Observatory Circle.
Historically, VPs lived in their own homes, but as it became increasingly difficult and expensive to secure private houses, there came a need to establish an official residence for the vice president. In 1974, the house at Number One Observatory Circle was authorized by Congress to be refurbished and transformed into the official home—three years later, Walter Mondale became the first veep to move in.
The house is located on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory, one of America’s oldest scientific agencies, and was originally built in the late 19th century for the USNO’s superintendent (in 1923, the chief of naval operations took the home for himself because he liked it so much). Designed in the Queen Anne style (characterized by asymmetrical floor plans, round turret rooms, and extensive wraparound verandas), the three-story home is sprawled out over 9,150 square feet on 12 acres of land. There is plenty of space for entertaining dignitaries—during his 8 years as VP, George H.W. Bush hosted 900 parties at the residence—but unlike the White House, Number One Observatory Circle isn’t open for public tours.
All former vice presidents have put their own personal touch to the property and Harris will likely do the same. Bush installed a horseshoe pit and jogging track on the grounds, Dan Quayle added a swimming pool, and the Pences put in a beehive. But perhaps the most significant addition came from Dick Cheney, who is widely believed to have built an underground bunker after 9/11.
Los Angeles, California
Kamala Harris and husband Douglas Emhoff’s home (the orange-roofed house shown in the center) in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.
In 2012 Harris’s lawyer husband Emhoff bought this 3,500-square-foot house in the posh Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, where celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and LeBron James own multimillion-dollar mansions. Two years later he married Harris and soon after transferred the home to a joint trust bearing both their initials. The property has four bedrooms and a pool, and is located ten minutes from the Getty Center. It had to be evacuated last fall due to the Getty Fire, which burned 745 acres in the area, but Harris’s home didn’t suffer any damages. According to Zillow, the house is now worth $5 million.
Washington D.C.
The Westlight Condominium in Washington D.C.
In 2017, the year she was elected to the Senate, Harris paid $1.775 million for a two-bedroom, 1,700-square-foot apartment in the nation’s capital. The 71-unit LEED-certified Westlight complex has a prime location in Washington’s West End, with Georgetown on one side, Dupont Circle on the other, and the White House just a mile away. It’s also amenity-rich, with a rooftop pool, fitness center, housekeeping, and a 24-hour concierge.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco
In 2004, when she became San Francisco’s first Black attorney general, Harris bought a condo in town for $489,000. Its value has nearly doubled since then, according to a Zillow estimate. The 1,000-square-foot loft is located in the city’s SoMa (South of Market) neighborhood, home to SF MoMA and the headquarters of several tech companies, including Uber, Airbnb, and Salesforce.
Leena Kim is an editor at Town & Country, where she covers travel, jewelry, education, weddings, and culture.
