I heard this house is used for visiting digintaries. But who is in the house where no dignitary is visiting? Is it privately owned? And who was living in it before Margaret Truman’s piano made the floor sag, and one thing led to another, and the Trumans lived there for about two and a half years while the White House was being rebuilt?
from http://www.nps.gov/whho/lafayettepk/blair_house.htm
History
Since its construction in 1824, Blair House has been a prominent player in the capital’s social and political arenas. ThePresident’s Guest House, Blair House is a residence for visiting Chief’s of Government and Heads of State.
The house was originally built for Dr. Joseph Lovell, first Surgeon General of the United States Army, and was acquired by Francis Preston Blair in 1836. Blair, a well-known journalist and supporter of Andrew Jackson, made the house a famous stop for foreign dignitaries. His private hospitality for political purposes is what led to the term “kitchen cabinet.”
Before the Civil War, the house was used as a meeting space for John Calhoun, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and Jefferson Davis. It was in Blair House that Robert E. Lee refused President Lincoln’s request to command the Union armies in 1861. Blair continued to own the house until 1942 when the government acquired the building form Gist Blair. Blair House was joined with three of its neighbors to reach its present size of 112 rooms.