{"nrhp_refnum":"85003048","name":"Ford, President Gerald R., Jr., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"514 Crown View Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Alexandria (Independent City)","county":"Alexandria","state":"VA","lat":38.81317220700004,"lon":-77.07996476099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-12-17","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1985-12-17","areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick suburban house at 514 Crown View Drive in Alexandria, Virginia, built in 1955 for Gerald R. Ford Jr. and his family, with a garage/master bedroom wing and a one-story rear extension.","why_significant":"The Fords lived here from 1955 until moving to the White House in August 1974, during Ford's years as a Michigan congressman, House Minority Leader and Vice President. The house reflects the family's domestic life and the modest, middle-class setting of Ford's political career. It was also where Ford was at home when Nixon telephoned about the Vice Presidency.","narrative":"This two-story brick house on Crown View Drive in Alexandria, Virginia, was built in 1955 for Gerald and Betty Ford and served as their primary home for nineteen years. It has seven rooms, a garage and master-bedroom wing, a rear extension and a finished basement. The design is credited to Viktors Purins of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Fords added a swimming pool in 1961. During this period Ford served in Congress, became House Minority Leader, and was confirmed as Vice President in December 1973. As Vice President he lived here while the Secret Service installed a command post in the garage, bullet-resistant windows, lighting and guard booths. The family moved to the White House on August 19, 1974, ten days after Ford took the presidential oath. Its typical middle-class suburban character, set against these changes, shows the ordinary family life behind a national political career. The Fords later rented and then sold the house.","period_of_significance":"1955-74","architect_builder":"Viktors Purins (credited by President Ford with the design)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in good condition, occupied and used as a private residence; original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.625529-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/79/6789/41678979/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/85003048_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003048/21b71f69b8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003048/21b71f69b8-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Quarterczar (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gerald_Ford_Home_3.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Quarterczar (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gerald_Ford_Home_3.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41678979","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_R._Ford_Jr._House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5549502"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/alexandria/ford-president-gerald-r-jr-house-85003048/"}