BLAIR HOUSE
The President’s Guest House
AN ELEGANT SETTING REFLECTING OUR NATION’S HISTORY
Across the street from the White House, four seamlessly connected row houses comprise the 120-room Blair House complex, also known as The President’s Guest House.
A STORIED LEGACY
For over two centuries, Blair House has played an essential role in shaping the nation’s political, diplomatic, and cultural life. Even during its years as a private home, Blair House was a place where prominent political figures gathered and significant events unfolded—from Andrew Jackson’s “Kitchen Cabinet” to private discussions between Abraham Lincoln and his close advisor, newspaper publisher Francis Preston Blair, who acquired the home in 1836.
DIPLOMACY IN ACTION
In 1942, the U.S. government acquired Blair House, along with the Blair family's original furnishings, china, and silver, establishing it as the official guest residence of the President of the United States. With its 70,000 square feet of floor space, fine appointments, period antiques, and artwork, Blair House is a powerful instrument of American diplomacy. In addition to hosting visiting foreign leaders in comfortable and elegant surroundings, Blair House also provides a secure residence for each president-elect in the days leading up to the inauguration.
General Charles De Gaulle | President Harry S. Truman, First Lady Bess Truman and family | Charles De Gaulle, President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic | Dr. Chaim Weizmann, President of the Provisional Government of Israel | Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, his daughter Indira Gandhi, and entourage | President Harry S. Truman and his daughter Margaret Truman Daniel | Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Republic of the Philippines, and First Lady Imelda Marcos | His Royal Highness Edward, Duke of Windsor and the Duchess of Windsor | The Honorable Lyndon Baines Johnson, Former President of the United States of America | The Honorable Nihat Erim, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey | His Majesty Hussein I, King of the Hashemite, Kingdom of Jordan | Her Excellency Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel | His Excellency Nguyen Van Thieu, President of the Republic of Vietnam | His Excellency William R. Tolbert, President of the Republic of Liberia |
General Charles De Gaulle | President Harry S. Truman, First Lady Bess Truman and family | Charles De Gaulle, President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic | Dr. Chaim Weizmann, President of the Provisional Government of Israel | Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, his daughter Indira Gandhi, and entourage | President Harry S. Truman and his daughter Margaret Truman Daniel | Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Republic of the Philippines, and First Lady Imelda Marcos | His Royal Highness Edward, Duke of Windsor and the Duchess of Windsor | The Honorable Lyndon Baines Johnson, Former President of the United States of America | The Honorable Nihat Erim, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey | His Majesty Hussein I, King of the Hashemite, Kingdom of Jordan | Her Excellency Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel | His Excellency Nguyen Van Thieu, President of the Republic of Vietnam | His Excellency William R. Tolbert, President of the Republic of Liberia |
His Excellency Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel | His Excellency Anwar El-Sadat, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt | His Imperial Majesty Mohammad Reza, Shah of Iran | Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | The Honorable James Carter, President-elect of the United States of America | The Honorable Ronald Reagan, President-elect of the United States of America and Mrs. Reagan | His Majesty Hussein I, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Queen Noor | His Excellency Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt | President Ronald Wilson Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan | François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic | Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | The Honorable George Herbert Walker Bush, President-elect of the United States of America and family | Carlos Salinas de Gortari, President of the United Mexican States | His Excellency Guillermo Endara Galimany, President of the Republic of Panama | Frederik Willem de Klerk, State President of The Republic of South Africa | Shaikh Jabir Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait |
His Excellency Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel | His Excellency Anwar El-Sadat, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt | His Imperial Majesty Mohammad Reza, Shah of Iran | Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | The Honorable James Carter, President-elect of the United States of America | The Honorable Ronald Reagan, President-elect of the United States of America and Mrs. Reagan | His Majesty Hussein I, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Queen Noor | His Excellency Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt | President Ronald Wilson Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan | François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic | Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | The Honorable George Herbert Walker Bush, President-elect of the United States of America and family | Carlos Salinas de Gortari, President of the United Mexican States | His Excellency Guillermo Endara Galimany, President of the Republic of Panama | Frederik Willem de Klerk, State President of The Republic of South Africa | Shaikh Jabir Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait |
His Excellency Lech Walesa, President of the Republic of Poland | Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary General of the United Nations | Queen Elizabeth II of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | Vaclav Havel, President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic | Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Federation | President-elect William Jefferson Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton | President-elect William Jefferson Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton | Their Majesties, The Emperor and Empress of Japan | The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States of America | His Excellency Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt | Mr. Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa | Her Excellency Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan | His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel | His Excellency Jiang Zemin, President of the People’s Republic of China |
His Excellency Lech Walesa, President of the Republic of Poland | Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary General of the United Nations | Queen Elizabeth II of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | Vaclav Havel, President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic | Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Federation | President-elect William Jefferson Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton | President-elect William Jefferson Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton | Their Majesties, The Emperor and Empress of Japan | The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States of America | His Excellency Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt | Mr. Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa | Her Excellency Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan | His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel | His Excellency Jiang Zemin, President of the People’s Republic of China |
The Right Honorable Tony Blair, M.P., Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Their Majesties King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofia | His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco | President-elect George W. Bush, Laura Bush, George H. W. Bush, Barbara Bush | Hamid Karzai, Chairman of the Interim Administration of Afghanistan | Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel | Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria | Vicente Fox, President of the United Mexican States | Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan | Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation | Pervez Musharraf, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan | Mohammed VI, King of Morocco | Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China | Nancy Reagan, Former First Lady | His Excellency Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq | His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait | His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | Mrs. Elizabeth B. Ford | Her Excellency Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany | Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | Nambaryn Enkhbayar, President of Mongolia | The Honorable Barack Obama, President-elect of the United States of America and Mrs. Obama | His Excellency Shimon Peres, President of the State of Israel |
The Right Honorable Tony Blair, M.P., Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Their Majesties King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofia | His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco | President-elect George W. Bush, Laura Bush, George H. W. Bush, Barbara Bush | Hamid Karzai, Chairman of the Interim Administration of Afghanistan | Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel | Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria | Vicente Fox, President of the United Mexican States | Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan | Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation | Pervez Musharraf, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan | Mohammed VI, King of Morocco | Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China | Nancy Reagan, Former First Lady | His Excellency Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq | His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait | His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | Mrs. Elizabeth B. Ford | Her Excellency Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany | Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | Nambaryn Enkhbayar, President of Mongolia | The Honorable Barack Obama, President-elect of the United States of America and Mrs. Obama | His Excellency Shimon Peres, President of the State of Israel |
BLAIR HOUSE FOUNDATION
Founded in 1985, the Blair House Foundation is a private, charitable, non-partisan organization dedicated to the stewardship and enhancement of the Blair House complex. While funding from the U.S. Department of State and the General Services Administration support operational and structural needs, the Foundation, by taking responsibility for preserving and revitalizing the interiors, including furnishings, artwork, and gardens, ensures that official visitors experience the highest standard of American hospitality.