Twin Oaks () is a 17-acre estate located in the

Cleveland Park Cleveland Park is a residential neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is located at and bounded approximately by Rock Creek Park to the east, Wisconsin and Idaho Avenues to the west, Klingle and Woodley Roads to the sou ...

neighborhood 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 ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It was the residence of nine

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

ambassadors to the United States before the United States broke off

diplomatic ties Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of state, intergovernmental, or non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern Diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...

with the Republic of China on

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

in 1979. The estate is bounded by Macomb street in the north, 33rd Place NW and residences in the west, Woodley and Klingle roads in the south, and in the east by former Tregaron Estate (formerly part of Twin Oaks, now the site of the

Washington International School The Washington International School (abbreviated as WIS; ; ) is a private international school in Washington, DC. Established in 1966, WIS was the first school in the Washington area to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The ...

and

Tregaron Conservancy The Tregaron Conservancy is a 13 acre Private protected area, privately owned and Park conservancy, managed historic woodland garden nature park in Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest, Washington, D.C. and the nonprofit organization that man ...

Architecture

The historic residence, completed in 1888, was designed by Francis Allen for

Gardiner Greene Hubbard Gardiner Greene Hubbard (August 25, 1822 – December 11, 1897) was an American lawyer, financier, and community leader. He was a founder and first president of the National Geographic Society; a founder and the first president of the Bell Teleph ...

, a founder and first president of the National Geographic Society and father-in-law of

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (; born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born Canadian Americans, Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He als ...

, the inventor of telephones.

History

Twin Oaks was listed on the

District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites The District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites is a register of historic places in Washington, D.C. that are designated by the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), a component of the District of Columbia Govern ...

in 1983, 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 ...

in 1986, and is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

in the Cleveland Park Historic District. The estate was the residence of nine

ambassadors to the United States from 1937 until 1979 when the United States switched diplomatic recognition to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), currently represented by the

Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), also known as Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Taipei Representative Office (TRO) or Taipei Mission, is an alternative diplomatic institution serving as a ''de facto'' e ...

in Washington in place of an official embassy, continues to own the property and uses it for official receptions. On 1 January 2015, the

flag of the Republic of China The flag of the Republic of China, commonly called the flag of Taiwan, consists of a red field with a blue canton bearing a white disk surrounded by twelve triangles; said symbols symbolize the sun and rays of light emanating from it, res ...

was raised for the first time since the end of diplomatic relations in 1979. The ceremony was held by the

in the U.S., a move symbolizing significant progress in

Taiwan–United States relations After the United States established diplomatic relations with the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1979 and recognized Beijing as the only legal government of China, Taiwan–United States relations became unofficial and informal fo ...

. Representative Shen Lyu-shun said that they not only returned, but they did it with dignity, respect and honor. The Obama Administration's State Department spokesperson responded at the daily press briefing that "The ceremony is not consistent with U.S. policy. We remain fully committed to the U.S.

One China Policy ''One China'' is a phrase describing the relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) based on mainland China, and the Republic of China (ROC) based on the Taiwan Area. "One China" asserts that there is only one ''de jure'' C ...

, based on the

Three Communiqués The Three Communiqués or Three Joint Communiqués () are a collection of three joint statements made by the governments of the United States (US) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). The communiqués played a crucial role in the establish ...

and the

Taiwan Relations Act The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA; ) is an Act of Congress, act of the United States Congress. Since the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, formal recognition of the China, People's Republic of China, the Act has defined ...

. No U.S. Government personnel attended the event in any capacity." In April 2021, the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...

loosened restrictions on contacts between U.S. government officials and their Taiwanese counterparts. As a result, U.S. officials are now allowed to attend events at Twin Oaks, subject to certain conditions.

References

External links

Washington, DC SP Twin Oaks

{{Taiwan–United States relations 1888 establishments in Washington, D.C. Houses completed in 1888 Colonial Revival architecture in Washington, D.C. Diplomatic residences in Washington, D.C. Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Taiwan–United States relations

Architecture

History

See also

References

External links