The Cleveland Abbe House, also known as the Timothy Caldwell House and Monroe-Adams-Abbe House, is a historic house at 2017 "I" Street NW in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Built in 1805, it is an excellent example of Federal period architecture. It has had a series of distinguished residents. Most notable are

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

, who occupied it as

United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Sec ...

and as

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

while the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

was restored after the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, and historian

Henry Adams Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fran ...

. However, it was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1975 for its association with meteorologist

Cleveland Abbe Cleveland Abbe (December 3, 1838 – October 28, 1916) was an American meteorologist and advocate of time zones. While director of the Cincinnati Observatory in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1871-1916, he developed a system of telegraphic weather r ...

(1838–1916), the founder of the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

, who lived here from 1877 until his death. It is now home to the

Arts Club of Washington The Arts Club of Washington is a List of gentlemen's clubs in the United States, private club to promote the Arts in Washington, D.C. Founded by Bertha Noyes in May 1916, its first president was Henry Kirke Bush-Brown; Mathilde Mueden Leisenri ...

Description and history

The Cleveland Abbe House stands on the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

campus northwest of the

, on the north side of "I" Street across from James Monroe Park and near its junction with

Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...

. It is a three-story brick

row house A terrace, terraced house (British English, UK), or townhouse (American English, US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses party wall, sharing side walls. In the United States ...

built out of red brick and topped by a dormered gable roof. It is four bays wide, with the entrance in the leftmost bay. Windows are rectangular sash, with stone sills and splayed keystone lintels. A stone string course separates each of the floors from the next. The main entrance has an elaborate Federal surround, with sidelight windows and a large half-round transom window. The interior of the house retains its original Federal period finishes.

History

Timothy Caldwell built the house around 1802 to 1805.

lived there from 1811 to 1817, a period during which he was Secretary of State and

War Secretary The secretary of state for war, commonly called the war secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The secretary of state for war headed the War Offic ...

. From his inauguration as America's fifth President in March 1817 until the White House was fully restored in September 1817, the Cleveland Abbe House served as the Presidential residence. In the 1820s, the house was occupied by the British legation.

lived here with his parents, Charles Francis Adams Sr. and Abigail Brooks, from 1860 to 1861.

, founder of the U.S. Weather Bureau, lived here from 1877 to 1909. It was during his ownership that a number of alterations were made to the house. He raised it from to stories, demolished some of its outbuildings, and built additional rooms in the rear. After Abbe died in 1916, the

purchased the building.Abbe House (Arts Club of Washington)
/ref> The house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as "Arts Club of Washington" in 1969. It was declared a

as "Cleveland Abbe House" in 1975. and

References

External links

Cleveland Abbe House
NHL summary at the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

Abbe House (Arts Club of Washington)
NRHP Travel itinerary listing at the

Arts Club of Washington
- History of the Cleveland Abbe House {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbe, Cleveland National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C. Houses completed in 1802 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Buildings and structures in Foggy Bottom Federal architecture in Washington, D.C.

Description and history

History

See also

References

External links