Private Homes Of Former Presidents

As we all know, as President of the United States, you get to live in the 132-room White House. However, where have these world leaders lived before or after taking the country's reins? Well, that's what we're going to explore today. We've selected some of the most well-known former U.S. presidents and their private properties across the country. We'll look at the facts and features of the houses and explore just how much they're all worth. There's the legendary property that George Washington called home, the multi-million-dollar D.C. mansion for the Obamas, a historic JFK abode, and much more. So, let's get started. Kicking off the list, we have the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. With his final term approaching its inevitable end during 2016, the family decided to lease a property in the Calamara neighborhood of Washington, D.C. According to reports, they could have been spending $22,000 a month. The nine-bedroom house, at the time, was owned by the former White House Press Secretary for Bill Clinton, Joe Lockhart. Built in 1928, Lockhart purchased the property in 2014 for $5,295,000. Obama stated they chose to remain in Washington instead of returning to Chicago, at least until their daughter Sasha had finished high school. Yet by 2017, the Obamas decided to purchase the mansion outright. They ended up splashing out around $8.1 million. The Tudor-style, 8,200-square-foot property contains eight-and-a-half bathrooms altogether. It has two kitchens, a formal living room, a family room, room for an office or a gym, and a finished basement. All the way back in 1985, the 45th President, Donald Trump, purchased the Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, for between $7 to $10 million, depending on reports. Over the next few years, he spent millions reviving the run-down estate. By 1993, with financial issues gathering, Trump ended up turning part of the estate into a private club. According to reports, the current initiation cost is $200,000, with an annual fee of $14,000. As such, Trump now uses Mar-a-Lago as his main residence. The 62,500-square-foot property with 128 rooms sits within 20 acres of beachfront land, and was first built during 1927. The club has such amenities as a spa, golf courses, tennis courts, fitness centers, and more. In 2019, the club brought in a revenue of $21.4 million, a drop from 2017 when it was $25.1 million. Located in Fairfax County, Virginia, sits the former plantation Mount Vernon, the home that belongs to the U.S.'s first president, George Washington. In 1734, the core of the house was built by his father, Augustine Washington. After leasing the property for a number of years, George Washington became the owner in 1761. Over the years, the mansion was expanded. The finished property has 21 rooms altogether, contained within just over 11,000 square feet within the 500-acre estate. Whilst Washington lived there, it was known as Little Hunting Creek Plantation, and had 7,600 acres. The ownership of Mount Vernon has passed through Washington's descendants. However, the cost of upkeep of the mansion took its toll, and it began to deteriorate. Looking to preserve the home of the first president, during 1858, the non-profit group the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association stepped forward. They bought 200 acres, and the main mansion, for $200,000. That's around $6.5 million today. In 1999, with the end of his second term in the White House approaching, the 42nd president, Bill Clinton, was looking for a new house. He and Hillary settled on a mansion in the hamlet of Chappaqua in Westchester County, New York. The Dutch colonial-style house was purchased for $1.7 million, around $2.7 million today. Located within 1.1 acres is the 5,500-square-foot mansion that was built in 1899. It has five bedrooms with four bathrooms and a large outdoor swimming pool. The estate also features a koi pond and a large barn that housed their secret service personnel. Speaking of, security is very important, as the whole property is surrounded by a high wall. The main gate even has a small security house to check visitors. The home also features paintings by Pierce Brosnan, the James Bond actor. One of his pop-art-inspired works on Bob Dylan was sold in 2018 for $1.4 million. Based within Springfield, Illinois, is a property that the 16th president of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln, called home from 1844 to 1861. When Lincoln purchased the small cottage, he was working as a state legislator. The building originally created in 1839 is the only home Lincoln has owned. He originally spent $1,500 on the property. Today, that would be nearly $53,000. At the time, the cottage only consisted of five to six rooms. Over the years, Lincoln would extend the property, finally reaching 12 rooms over two floors, by 1855. In 1861, after winning the presidency, Lincoln housed a gathering at his Springfield house with a reported 700 people. After his assassination, the home would later belong to his son, Robert Lincoln. During 1887, he donated the house to the state of Illinois on the condition that it would be looked after and that the public could visit it for free. Today, much of the interior is modeled after what it would have looked like during Lincoln's stay there. Back in 2001, just before George W. Bush became 43rd president of the U.S., his ranch was completed in McLennan County, Texas. Called the Prairie Chapel Ranch, it contains around 1,583 acres of land. According to reports, Bush paid around $1.3 million for the land in 1999. On the land is the main 4,000-square-foot, one-story limestone house that has three bedrooms. Nearby is a two-suite guest house that was built from a reclaimed 18th century English frame barn from New York. Outside is a swimming pool hidden within trees. There's also a 40-mile network of bike trails for the former president and his family to venture on. But they also host the W100K, an annual bike ride for wounded veterans. For his downtime, Bush had an 11-acre lake installed and filled with 600 largemouth bass and 30,000 baitfish in order to enjoy some fishing. Depending on size, the bass can cost up to $8.95 each, giving us a price of $5,370. The 40th president of the U.S. was Hollywood actor-turned-politician Ronald Reagan. After leaving the White House in 1989, Reagan and his wife Nancy moved to a mansion in Bel Air in Los Angeles, California. The 7,200-square-foot property was built in 1954 and was bought during 1986 for $2.5 million, around $6 million today. Contained with 1.29 acres of land, the ranch-style mansion consists of 17 rooms with three bedrooms and six bathrooms across its two stories. While outside, the gated grounds have a swimming pool. In 2016, after the passing of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, many of their furnishings were put up for auction, with the proceeds going to the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute. With all 702 lots selling, they raised $7,253,750. The priciest item was a diamond, sapphire, and ruby ring by Bvlgari that went for $319,500. Also, in 2016, the Bel Air mansion was sold to billionaire Jerry Paranchio. He reportedly paid $15 million. While the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport, Massachusetts is synonymous with the family, it was a summer home for the 35th President, John F. Kennedy. While a Georgetown residence in Washington, D.C., is where JFK would get his political and personal start. From 1949 to 1951, whilst a U.S. Senator and gearing towards a presidential campaign, he lived at the property with his sister, Eunice Kennedy. During his final year living at the Georgetown abode, it's been reported that that's when he met his later wife, Jackie Bouvier. Originally built in 1800, today, the 4,659-square-foot building contains three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms over its two stories. It also has an attached garage and a rooftop terrace with views of the city and even the Washington Monument. In 2020, the house was put on the market with an asking price of $4.6 million. It sold that same year for a reduced $4.2 million. Final fact finish, as for the most expensive home that a world leader resides in, that title is held by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain with Buckingham Palace. According to property experts, the 775-room London Palace is said to have a valuation of as much as 4.9 billion pounds or around 6.9 billion U.S. dollars. Thanks for joining us today, we'll see you next time.