Although he spent much of his adult life in Washington, President Johnson always regarded this house as his home. During his White House years, it functioned as a busy office, a working ranch, and a quiet refuge from the pressures of the presidency in tumultuous times. The large live oak in front often became a makeshift meeting place for his cabinet, and his ability to influence or control events did not lessen while he stayed here. Outbuildings contained sophisticated electronics, airplanes and helicopters used the ranch runway, and inside the house he met with staff, read papers, watched television, and worked the phones constantly. He also received a steady stream of cabinet officers, legislators, celebrities, and heads of state. The original stone section of the ranch house was built in the 1890s, and various improvements were made after the Johnsons acquired it in 1951.