Bush Compound

The Bush compound (originally Point Vesuvius, then Walker's Point), is the summer home of 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush. Located adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean in southern Maine, in the town of Kennebunkport, the property has been a family retreat for more than a century.

The estate was purchased in the late 19th century by St. Louis banker George H. Walker, with a mansion being built in 1903. Later, the estate passed on to his daughter Dorothy Walker Bush and her husband Prescott Bush. The estate has since remained in the Bush family.

President George H. W. Bush spent much of his childhood at the Kennebunkport estate. He inherited the property after the death of his parents. As an adult, Bush, his wife Barbara, and their children George W., Jeb, Marvin, Neil, Dorothy, and Robin spent most summers at the estate. The estate has been a backdrop of family weddings, holidays, and receptions. While at the "Summer White House," Bush hosted world leaders including Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev for informal and private meetings. As a young man, Bush relocated to Houston, Texas, and today the Bushes maintain a working residence in Tanglewood, where they spend most of their time.

Bush's son, Former President George W. Bush, visits with family in Kennebunkport several times a year. His "Summer White House" also known as the "Western White House," was the Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas.

The estate is situated on the strip of land called Walker's Point which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. The large central house, built in the New England shingle style, has nine bedrooms, four sitting rooms, an office, a den, a library, a dining room, a kitchen, and various patios and decks. Next to the main house are a four-car garage, a pool, tennis court, dock, boathouse, and guesthouse. There are spacious lawns on either side of the house, on which there is a small sportsfield.

The entrance is gated and guarded by Secret Service officers, though visitors can see the driveway leading up to the main house and a circular driveway, in the middle of which is a large flagpole flying the American flag. When either President Bush was present at the compound while in office, the Presidential flag was hoisted below the national colors; the flagpole was a popular backdrop for television journalists during the elder Bush's presidency.

The home and contents were substantially damaged by a strong series of storms in late October, 1991. The damage was estimated at $300,000-$400,000 and the President did receive an undisclosed amount in flood insurance, but failed to take the full deduction for storm damage on his 1991 tax return to avoid a conflict on interest as he was the person responsible for declaring Maine as a 'disaster area'.

Unlike the Kennedy compound, the Bush compound is a prohibited area.