The second and third floors of the White House make up the residence. Among the jobs they do: butler, maid, chef, plumber, doorman, and florist. Within the building, according to Brower, “132 rooms, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators are spread across the 6 floors-plus two hidden mezzanine levels-all tucked within what appears to be a three-story building.” Ninety-six people work full-time in the residence, and there are another 250 part-time employees. The White House is bigger than you think. It takes a large staff to care for the White House. A comprehensive list of the fascinating details revealed by Brower would require reprinting the book in its entirety here's a tiny sampling of things we learned from The Residence. The result is a mesmerizing history of America from the service staff’s heretofore untold point of view. The book is crafted from over 100 interviews, and takes readers to the tragic day Jackie Kennedy returned home in a blood-soaked dress, what Richard Nixon did after resigning, and what it’s like to walk in on naked presidents. The Residence, by Kate Anderson Brower, is an extraordinary portrait of the butlers, maids, plumbers, and chefs who run the “home” half of the White House.
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