NEW Episode: The White House 1600 Sessions Podcast “Blair House: The President’s Guest House”

Jul 30, 2024 Washington, D.C. —

The White House Historical Association released a new episode of The White House 1600 Sessions podcast today to honor the bicentennial of the building of Blair House featuring a conversation about the history of what has become known as Blair House: The President’s Guest House and its importance to American diplomacy. Stewart McLaurin, president of the Association, speaks with the Honorable Capricia Marshall, former U.S. chief of protocol and vice chair of the Blair House 200th Anniversary Campaign, and Ambassador Stuart Holliday, former U.S. ambassador for special political affairs at the United Nations and trustee of the Blair House Foundation. McLaurin also takes a tour of the complex with Matthew Wendel, the assistant chief of protocol and general manager of Blair House. In this episode, McLaurin and his guests provide a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes at Blair House, which is closed to the public, and see the museum-quality collection, diplomatic spaces, and the principal suite where queens, presidents, and other dignitaries have stayed.

“Imagine being jet lagged, tired and arriving here at Blair House to visit the president of the United States,” said McLaurin. “I would not want to leave my room if I were visiting this really beautiful place.”

Blair House is located mere steps from the White House. In the 1940s, the federal government purchased the private home and began transforming it into the president’s guest house for visiting dignitaries. It's also become the place where the president-elect usually stays before every presidential inauguration, and a welcoming sanctuary for many of the grieving presidential families during a state funeral.

“When you've had the opportunity to serve in government, you get to watch those from the international community walk through the doors and they are in awe,” said Marshall. “They immediately start asking questions: Who did this? What is this about? Tell us more about the history of this. And so, the work that we do really is a tool in diplomacy. It is part of our soft power. It is so incredibly important.”

“Blair House is the very fabric of diplomacy and when I come in, I think of what has taken place here,” said Holliday. “From the Marshall Plan and all of the bilateral discussions to the important place it holds in extending hospitality to international leaders for decades. I think this is really America's gateway for international leaders.”

Blair House is a living, working space that is maintained with the utmost care: the staffing and structural needs are supported by the U.S. Department of State, and since 1985, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Blair House Foundation has raised private funds to preserve the rooms, gardens and amenities.

“It's so special to come here every day and I feel very privileged to do the work of the American people, not just the president or the secretary of state, but all of America,” said Wendel. “My job is to welcome the leader and his staff in and make them feel at home, make them feel comfortable so they can have very productive meetings with the president, vice president, and secretary of state.”

Originally built in 1824 for Doctor Joseph Lovell, the first surgeon general of the U.S. Army, the Blair family purchased the property in 1837 when Francis Preston Blair became publisher and editor-in-chief of the pro-Andrew Jackson newspaper, The Washington Globe. Blair was an influential member of President Jackson's inner circle, and remained an informal adviser and confidante to Presidents Martin Van Buren and Abraham Lincoln, the latter of whom was a frequent visitor. As the city began to change, it would be Blair’s grandson, Gist, who sought President Franklin Roosevelt’s help in preserving the home.

An updated edition of the White House Historical Publication Blair House: The President's Guest House by William Seale is available at shop.whitehousehistory.org.

The full video of this podcast episode is also available on the White House Historical Association’s YouTube channel here.

The White House 1600 Sessions podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

For more information, please contact press@whha.org.

The White House 1600 Sessions

The White House Historical Association’s President Stewart McLaurin is the host of The White House 1600 Sessions, the Association’s official audio and video podcast devoted to exploring the history, cultural impact, untold stories, and personal accounts of America’s most iconic residence and highest office.