Octagon, The
Historic house in Washington, D.C., United States. Built 1799 by William Thornton. Added to the National Register in 1966, and a National Historic Landmark.
What it is
The Octagon House, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe III House, is a house located at 1799 New York Avenue, Northwest in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was built in 1799 for John Tayloe III, the wealthiest planter in the country, at the behest of his new family member George Washington, as his sister Sarah Tayloe married William Augustine Washington, son of Gen. Washington's half brother Augustine Washington Jr. In September 1814, after British forces burnt the White House during the War of 1812, Tayloe, for six months, lent the Octagon House to United States president James Madison and first lady Dolley Madison to serve as the Executive Mansion. It is one of only seven houses to serve as the presidential residence in the history of the United States of America, and one of only three, along with the White House and Blair House, that still stand.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 1799 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC |
| County | District of Columbia County |
| Listed | Oct 15, 1966 |
| Reference number | 66000863 |
| Built | 1799 |
| Architect | William Thornton |
| Type of place | single-family detached home |
| Style | Federal architecture |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 1 buildings |
| Standing | Yes |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 1799 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC |
| Coordinates | 38.89635, -77.04150 · Directions ↗ |
| Nearest national park unit | The White House and President's Park · 0 mi · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Fort Dupont Park Picnic Areas 4 mi · Rock Creek Park Group Picnic Areas (Dc) 5 mi · Greenbelt Park Ranger Station 10 mi |
Explore
Map
Nearby in District of Columbia County
Reference
Sources
Location, dates, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 66000863. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.