Number One Observatory Circle has hosted many dignitaries and events, but it is closed to the public. The Pences brought in a beehive, which they unveiled in 2017. Biden reportedly loved the pool so much that he sang its praises to his successor, Mike Pence. Bush's VP, waited a month before moving in, said the Philadelphia Inquirer, to make the house suitable for children. Bush, VP under President Reagan, moved in next, and he added his own touches to the home: a horseshoe pit and a quarter-mile track. The president reminisced about his time there compared to his new home at the White House during a town hall with CNN's Anderson Cooper in February.George H.W. Bush, Jill Biden was also known for jogging around the grounds, and the family hosted Thanksgiving there for wounded military veterans. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden also spent eight years living there during his time as President Barack Obama's vice president. President Joe Biden, shown speaking at the vice president's residence in 2012, particularly enjoyed the home's backyard pool. Bush's vice president, Dick Cheney, gave a glimpse at the residence in a 2001 article in Architectural Digest that showed off the Western flair the couple from Wyoming added after moving in. Gore's daughter, Karenna, got married on the grounds of the residence in 1997, with Aretha Franklin performing for the bride and groom's first dance, according to The Washington Post. In a scene hard to imagine today, Walter Mondale even cooked a meal of fettuccine and grilled fish for 70 newspaper reporters at the residence in 1980, Denyer wrote. His wife, Joan Mondale, started traditions like filling the home with art on loan from galleries and entertaining guests and dignitaries. There were some kinks to work out after the Mondales first moved in, as the hot water often ran out and rusty water came out of the faucet in the bathtub, according to Denyer's book. The first occupants were Walter Mondale and his family in 1977, after he became the veep under President Jimmy Carter. The house became the vice president's official residence in 1975, but sitting Vice President Nelson Rockefeller decided to stay in his mansion in Washington, D.C., and did not move in. Prior to Number One Observatory Circle, vice presidents lived everywhere from apartments to hotel rooms to suburban homes, which became a headache for the Secret Service to always be changing security protocols to accommodate new residences. It wasn't designated as a home for the vice president until a joint resolution passed by Congress in 1974 over the objections of Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, who was living there at the time before his tenure ended.

It has been reported that there are as many as 33 and as little as five, Denyer summarized in his book. Since the public is not allowed inside, no one seems to know exactly how many rooms the home contains because the information isn't released publicly for security reasons. The home was originally built in 1893 and was not designated as the official residence of the vice president until 1975 after congressional hearings.

The grounds also house telescopes, libraries and a dedicated landing area for Marine One and Marine Two, the helicopters that transport the president and vice president, respectively. The building features classical columns, a large porch in the front, a grand entry hall and bay windows. Naval Observatory, but the chief of naval operations took a liking to it so he booted out the superintendent and took the house himself, according to the White House. It was supposed to be the home of the superintendent of the U.S.

One observatory circle