In 1928, with the passage of Public Law 630, Congress appropriated it for the chief of naval operations, and in June 1929, Charles Hughes became the first resident of what became known as Admiral's House.

[10] In 1923, to honor her late husband, Senator John B. Henderson's widow offered to provide their newly built home as an official residence.

"[11][10] In 1966, the House Public Works Committee approved the construction of a three-story vice presidential residence at the Naval Observatory.

In the interim, the Secret Service paid for expensive upgrades to the private homes of vice presidents Hubert Humphrey, Spiro Agnew, and Gerald Ford.

Agnew lived in his house for only three months in 1973 before resigning; shortly after, he sold it at a large profit, in part because of the upgrades (additional quarters for the Secret Service, fences and a new driveway for example), paid for by the government.

[citation needed] In July 1974, Congress passed a new law to make Admiral's House the "official temporary residence of the vice president of the United States" effective upon the termination of service of the incumbent chief of naval operations.

Work began on preparing Admiral's House to be the temporary vice president's residence later that fall, after Richard Nixon's resignation and move of the CNO to Quarters A at the Navy Yard.

[citation needed] The decision was largely made as it was increasingly expensive to add security and communicative equipment to each new vice presidential residence.

[7] Elmo Zumwalt was the last chief of naval operations to live in Number One Observatory Circle before it became the official residence of the vice president.

[14] The new vice president Nelson Rockefeller chose to live in his larger private home instead and used Admiral's House only for entertaining.

Repairs to interior and exterior walls damaged by water seepage amounted to $225,000, and $8,000 more was spent to build a small master bedroom.

[18] Dan Quayle delayed his move-in by a month in 1989 for an extensive $300,000 remodeling that included a rebuilt third floor with bedrooms suitable for children, a wheelchair-accessible entrance, and an upgraded bathroom off the vice president's room.

[23][24] Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff moved into Number One Observatory on April 7, 2021.

[30][31] On November 28, 2021, Harris and Emhoff became the first second couple to light a menorah in the window of the official residence in celebration of the first night of Hanukkah.

[33] In 2024, Harris and Emhoff did not invite Vice President-elect JD Vance and the incoming second family to visit the home before moving in.

Incoming second lady Usha Vance unsuccessfully sought information about the home from Harris' staff before communicating with Naval officials.

Vance was concerned about childproofing the house to accommodate the couple's three young children, all under the age of 7 when they moved into the home in January 2025.

Substantial wood millwork of mahogany, quarter-sawn oak, American chestnut, and walnut were often painted over in white to "lighten" rooms and make them feel more contemporary.

The Rockefellers did leave a lithograph called "The Great Ignoramus", several antique Korean and Japanese chests, and nearly a dozen other pieces.

The Bush family, working with interior decorator Mark Hampton, used a palette of celadon, lime green, and light blue.

The Gores oversaw a complete redecoration, the addition of a new dining-room table, new furniture for the library, and a substantial renovation of the grounds and porches to make them more suitable for outdoor entertaining.

[10][43][44][45] In 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris planted a pomegranate tree at the residence to commemorate the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.

[6][10] In December 2002, following the September 11 attacks, neighbors of the Number One Observatory Circle, then inhabited by Cheney, complained of loud "blasts" and construction noises.

Neighbors who complained about the construction received a letter from the observatory's superintendent reading, "Due to its sensitive nature in support of national security and homeland defense, project-specific information is classified and cannot be released."

[47][48][49] In 2009, recently inaugurated Vice President Joe Biden reportedly revealed the existence of an underground "9/11" bunker beneath the house.