Top Picks For You

Take a Look at These Replicas of the White House All Over the World

It’s news to no one that these houses are fake.

A lot of lessons have been learned lately. Among them is how disorganization and moral corruption can rot the very name of the most recognizable estate in America: The White House. So, with that, I thought it made sense to seek out similar properties out there that also embody a fakeness, albeit in a more physical sense than in an idealistic sense. There are multiple “White Houses” around the globe—some of which are open to the public and some of which are literally on the market.

The White House(s)

Where: McLean, Virginia

There are, in fact, two properties (in the same neighborhood) within 20 miles of the *official* White House, and they both, at first glance, could very much be mistaken for the U.S. president’s palace. This one was recently on the market in July for a cool $4 million—with three stories and six bedrooms, it measures 12,500 square feet and sits on a grassy knoll that’s part of two acres. You’ll also find a pool with a swim-up bar and a waterfall on the property.

The White House, Upside Down

Where: Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

Yes, you read that right—this replica is pretty reminiscent of the state of the country: everything feels Upside Down. A tour of the gravity-defying attraction will grant you “access” to “top secret information,” which sounds incendiary, but keep in mind that it’s “fun for all ages” so you likely won’t find anyone’s tax returns as you pass through the nuclear missile access tunnel.

Duncan Rawlinson

While a quick internet search might show you mixed reviews of Top Secret Incorporated, it’s worth noting, per one Yelp user, “If you’re a boring, grouchy person with no imagination—stay away from this place!”

Fun Fact: While other overturned White House houses do exist (there’s a similar attraction in Orlando, Florida), the Wisconsin entry is the confirmed largest.

White House Banquets and Events Center

Where: Anaheim, California

Formerly the home of the Hobby City Doll & Toy Museum, this structure was stripped of its 4,000 dolls, and eventually rebranded to look like (a one-half scale of) that one house on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. A large, rentable banquet hall, this space has now become recognized as a wedding wish list must-have; I’m sure the fact that it was featured on TLC’s I Want That Wedding! has helped.

Fun Fact: In a turn of clever marketing, the watermark featured on many of their Instagram photos resembles that of the official White House’s.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by White House Event Center (@whitehouseeventcenter)

The Governor Ross Sterling Mansion

Where: La Porte, Texas

Known as the “First Texas White House,” this nine-bedroom, 15-bathroom estate about 30 miles from Houston features a library and a salon that was built in 1924 for Texas’s 31st governor, Ross Sterling, a.k.a. the guy who founded what is now Exxon. While it sold for $2.8 million in 2016, you can find it in the National Register of Historic Places and the Texas Historical Commission.

Jim Evans(CC BY-SA 4.0)/WikimediaCommons

Minimundus

Where: Carinthia, Austria

Arguably the cutest White House (though the jury’s still out), this replica can be found in Minimundus, a miniature theme park in Klagenfurt. The park itself touts 159 miniature models—all of which are on a scale of 1:25—of well-known structures from more than 40 countries, so there are more reasons to go (though, it’s temporarily closed at the moment) than just to gawk at the Executive Mansion. It would be sort of iconic, however, if you went *just* for that.

The Home in Hangzhou

Where: China

This 55,000-square-foot home belongs to real estate mogul Huang Qiaoling, who crafted it for $10 million. Qiaoling, a visionary, managed to include an Oval Office, a hall with portraits of presidents past lining the walls, and a replica of Mount Rushmore into the backyard of the property, which has been strikingly captured by Lauren Greenfield.

Atlanta’s White House

Where: Decatur, Georgia

This property is approximately three-fourths the size of the one we’ve been seeing a lot of on the news recently.

Bkc2006/WikimediaCommons

According to a 2009 New York Times article, the 16,500 Georgia home of real estate developer Fred Milani—which has enough parking space for 75 cars—has a décor that’s described as having touches of political kitsch and adornments of “religious iconography.”