Bush compound

The Bush compound, firstly 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, near the town of Kennebunkport, the property has been a family retreat for more than a century.

The estate was first purchased by St. Louis banker George H. Walker in the late 19th century; he built the mansion in 1903. The estate was later sold to his daughter Dorothy Walker Bush and her husband Prescott Bush and has remained in the Bush family since.

The Kennebunkport estate was where President George H. W. Bush spent much of his childhood, and he inherited the property on the death of his parents. As an adult, Bush, his wife Barbara, and their children George, Jeb, Marvin, Neil, Dorothy, and Robin spent most summers at the estate, as well as 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.

Currently, President George W. Bush, who often stays at Prairie Chapel, his Crawford, Texas ranch, visits with family in Kennebunkport several times a year.

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.

The home and contents were substantially damaged by a strong series of storms in late October, 1991.cite news |title= 3-Story Waves Heavily Damage Bush Vacation Compound in Southern Maine |url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6D71230F932A35752C1A967958260|publisher="The New York Times" |date=November 1, 1991 |accessdate=2008-05-08 ]

World leaders who have visited

* British Prime Minister John Major visited then-President George H. W. Bush during Soviet talks in 1991
* Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin visited President Bush in 1992
* Russian President Vladimir Putin visited with George W. Bush in 2007
* French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited with both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush at the compound in August 2007 [ Associated Press, [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/08/11/bush_sarkozy_look_for_better_relations/ "Bush, Sarkozy pledge close ties"] . Consulted on August 14, 2007. ]

Others:

*Billy Graham and his wife Ruth Graham vacationed there with the elder Bushes.cite news |title= The President Preacher; In Crisis, White House Turns to Billy Graham |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1044879.html|publisher="The Washington Post" |date=January 18, 1991 |accessdate=2007-08-18 ]

References

Additional sources

* Bush, George H.W. "All the Best"
* Kelly, Kitty. "Dynasty; the true story of the Bush Family"
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/ White House] press reports
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6764809.stm

External links