It can take upward of $1 billion to run for president of the United States and make it to the White House. But why do that when you can spend $2.65 million on a replica of the executive mansion?
Located in McLean, Va. — just minutes away from the DC metro area – a seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom estate, which fairly clearly resembles the White House, has hit the market once again.
The neoclassical estate even comes with its own Oval Office model, a Truman balcony and a Lincoln dining room.
Spanning nearly 14,000 square feet, other features of the home include an elevator, a climate-controlled wine cellar, a library, a party room for 100 and a private movie theater.
The three-story home also boasts marble flooring and 11-foot-high ceilings.
Van Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee who’d escaped the Vietnam war, had purchased the nearly 1.6-acre lot in 1986 for $160,000, property records show. He then built and completed the residence by 1995 as a way to honor his gratitude for America.
By 2011, the home was ready to hit the market. The real estate agent representing the buyer even attempted to reach out to Donald Trump himself to see if he was interested in buying the property first since he was considering a 2012 presidential run at the time.
But Trump never responded.
The home was first listed for $4 million officially in 2012, but without any offers, it tried its luck on the rental market.
In 2018, it was unfortunately forced into bank foreclosure.
Overall, it took seven years to create the replica house: two years for historical architect Robert Burns to scale down the blueprints of the original White House, three years to build and an additional two years after the family moved in to finish the detailing work.
The Post has reached out to Pennye Green-Latimer of Long & Foster Bethesda Gateway, who holds the listing, for comment.
