State House (Pennsylvania)

State House is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. The mansion is located on the grounds of Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. Originally a secondary Pennsylvania Governor's Residence, it is the only official residence of a Lieutenant Governor in the United States.

History

State House was built in the 1940s.[1] The three-story house is 2,400-square foot house and includes a five-car garage and a swimming pool.[2][3] The house, originally a summer residence for the Governor of Pennsylvania, was designated as the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in 1971 and is under the control of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services.[4][3][5] It is the only official residence of a Lieutenant Governor in the United States.[3][2] It is located on the grounds of Fort Indiantown Gap.[6] Ernest Kline was the first Lieutenant Governor to live at State House.[5] The house costs the state government roughly $400,000 a year to maintain.[2][7]

In 2019 Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman decided not to move into the residence upon being elected, instead choosing to open the grounds to the public.[3] Fetterman's wife, Second Lady Gisele Barreto Fetterman, oversees the management of pool use for swim classes, summer camps, and other public functions.[3] On May 9, 2019 Joe Scarnati, a Republican state senator and former lieutenant governor, proposed legislation that would require the Department of General Services to sell the residence, with proceeds going towards affordable housing and assisting military veterans, since the residence is not being used.[8][9]

References
  1. "Pa. lawmakers are looking to change the picking and the perks of future lieutenant governors". pennlive. December 18, 2019.
  2. "Senate President Joe Scarnati wants to sell Pa. Lt. Gov's residence at Fort Indiantown Gap".
  3. Michelle Lou. "Pennsylvania lieutenant governor opens pool at his official residence to the public". CNN.
  4. "Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
  5. "Lieutenant governor moving into grand State House". pennlive. January 11, 2009.
  6. Walmer, Daniel. "Pa. has US's only Lt. Gov. mansion. Is it worth the cost?". Lebanon Daily News.
  7. "A look inside Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor's residence". pennlive. April 14, 2017.
  8. "Senate bill could portend the end of the Lieutenant Governor's mansion at Fort Indiantown Gap".
  9. Biederman, Alyssa. "To sell or not sell? Pa.'s taxpayer-funded lieutenant governor's mansion could hit the market". www.inquirer.com.

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