Vice President's Residence, U.S. Naval Observatory

This photograph of the vice president's residence at the United States Naval Observatory was taken by Thomas J. O'Halloran on January 17, 1977. Located at Number One Observatory Circle in Northwest Washington, D.C., the house was originally built for the superintendent of the United State Naval Observatory in 1893, but became the residence of the chief of naval operations in 1923. In 1974, the house was selected by Congress to be refurbished for use as the residence of the Vice President of the United States. Although Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller held housewarming parties in September 1975, the Rockefellers did not live in the house and only used it for entertaining. The first vice president to live in the Naval Observatory was Walter F. Mondale, who moved into the house with his family in 1977. Since then, it has traditionally served as the official residence for vice presidents and their families.