The Octagon House

The Octagon House Review

Why this six-sided building is named the Octagon remains a subject of debate. Some say it's because the main room is a circle, and was built by rounding out the angles of an eight-sided room; others say it's for the eight angles formed by the odd shape of the six walls—an old definition of an octagon. Either way, the building is considered one of the best examples of Federal architecture in the United States, and today is home to the country's oldest museum of architecture and design, the Museum of the American Architectural Foundation. The galleries have changing exhibits on architecture, city planning, and Washington history. Designed by Dr. William Thornton (the Capitol's original architect), the Octagon was built for John Taylor III, a wealthy Virginia plantation owner, and was completed in 1801. Thornton chose the unusual shape to conform to the acute angle formed by L'Enfant's intersection of New York Avenue and 18th Street.

After the White House was burned in 1814, the Taylors invited James and Dolley Madison to stay in the Octagon. It was in a second-floor study that the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, was ratified. By the late 1800s the building was used as a rooming house. In the 20th century the house served as the headquarters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) before the construction of the AIA's rather unexceptional building behind it.

A renovation in the 1960s revealed the intricate plaster molding and the original 1799 Coade stone mantels (named for the woman who invented a now-lost method of casting crushed stone). A far more thorough restoration, completed in 1996, returned the Octagon to its 1815 appearance, topped off by a historically accurate, cypress-shingle roof with balustrade.

At this writing, the museum was in the final phase of restoration and conservation projects. Call ahead or check the Web site to find out the status of reopening before visiting.