Check out Kamala Harris' new vice presidential offices, which are full of historic White House artifacts
Talia Lakritz
- The vice president has offices in the West Wing and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
- The ornate EEOB office is used for ceremonial gatherings and press events.
- The more modest White House office is a workspace in close proximity to the president.
The vice president of the United States has two office spaces: a nondescript room in the West Wing of the White House, and an ornate ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door.
Through the years, vice presidents have redecorated the spaces with new furniture and family heirlooms. Vice President Kamala Harris is already making both of them her own with some personal touches.
Take a look inside Harris' offices on the White House grounds, and see how they've changed over the years.
President Theodore Roosevelt oversaw the construction of the West Wing, where the vice president's smaller office is located, in 1902.
The executive office building was originally supposed to be for temporary use during renovations. Roosevelt began working in a rectangular office there in 1902 — the Oval Office wasn't constructed until 1909, when President William Howard Taft doubled the size of the West Wing.
The vice president's White House office is not particularly fancy or large, with enough space for a desk and a sitting area.
"The vice president's office in the West Wing is ordinary, but the idea is proximity to the president rather than a large size or fancy decor," Dr. Elizabeth Goldsmith, professor emerita at Florida State University, told Insider.
Vice presidents have used the office to receive foreign dignitaries and meet with aides.
President Bill Clinton joined Vice President Al Gore in his office to meet with Martin Lee, leader of Hong Kong's Democratic Party, in 1997.
The walls contain portraits of America's first two vice presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
The carpet was changed from tan to blue when Vice President Dick Cheney occupied the office space.
Cheney also displayed a Civil War-era map with a family connection behind his desk.
When Joe Biden served as vice president under President Barack Obama, the walls were painted blue to match the carpet.
Biden also brought in new furniture, swapping out Cheney's yellow sofas for slate blue couches with a floral pattern.
Vice President Mike Pence also made a few decorative changes with a navy patterned carpet and plain gray armchairs.
Pence kept the Bronze Star his father earned in the Korean War in his office.
Vice President Kamala Harris hasn't gotten around to decorating the office just yet, but she has added some photos of her family.
The wall behind her desk is empty, and all of the furniture remains the same.
Harris swore in Biden's first Cabinet member, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, in her office the day after the inauguration.
Harris is the first woman to serve as vice president, and Haines is the first woman to serve as Director of National Intelligence.
Read more: 19 honors throughout history that only one woman has achieved
She also spoke to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the phone.
The vice president's ceremonial office is located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House.
The EEOB was built from 1871 to 1888 and has 988 rooms, Goldsmith told Insider.
"It is massive," she said. "I like the way it looks — in times past, some called it ugly."
The ceremonial space was formerly used as the Navy secretary's office.
The original walls and ceiling were decorated with symbols of the Navy in Victorian colors. Some of the original designs were restored in 1980, and the parts that were too damaged were copied onto canvases.
The desk inside was first used by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902.
It was also used by Presidents Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Eisenhower, and Truman.
Various presidents and vice presidents have signed the top drawer of the desk since the 1940s.
Cheney left his signature inside the desk in 2009.
The ceremonial office is mostly used for meetings and interviews.
Cheney met with United States Military Academy Cadets in the Vice President's Ceremonial Office in 2006.
The chandeliers are replicas of the original gasoliers from 1900.
Biden held events in the ceremonial office throughout his time as vice president, including meetings with law enforcement, the Recovery Act Implementation Cabinet, and the White House task force focused on ending campus sexual assault.
Pence swore in Cabinet members at the ornately designed ceremonial office in 2017.
Elaine Chao was sworn in as President Donald Trump's Transportation Secretary in the ceremonial office in 2017.
Harris swore in Chao's successor, Pete Buttigieg, in the same spot in 2021.
Buttigieg became the first openly gay Cabinet secretary in US history.
Her historic desk includes official stationery.
Harris can now add her signature to the top drawer of the desk.
Harris is already making the ceremonial office her own with some personal touches.
The photo on the right shows Harris and Emhoff with their arms around each other at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
According to Goldsmith, the vice president's spouse usually also has an office in the EEOB.
READ MORE ARTICLES ON
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement