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Photo: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2 via Wikimedia Commons
The Ringgold-Carroll House was built in 1825 for Tench Ringgold, who was part of a three-member team in charge of restoring public buildings in the District of Columbia, following the War of 1812. From 1832-1833, Chief Justice John Marshall resided with Ringgold in the house. In 1835, the house was sold, and a number of prominent people have since lived in the house, including William Thomas Carroll, a clerk at the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Melville Fuller, Senator Joseph Medill McCormick, and Congressman Robert Low Bacon. The Diplomatic and Consular Officers Retired (DACOR) now occupy the house, which is not open to the public except for special events.
The Ringgold–Carroll House is a historic residence located at 1801 F St Northwest, Washington, D.C. One of the finest of the few remaining examples of Federal period residential architecture in the neighborhood of the White House, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been adapted from a historic home into a private club and office space by Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR) and the DACOR–Bacon House Foundation.
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Designed by William C. Thornton, and completed in 1800, the Octagon was owned by Colonel John Tayloe, a Virginia plantation owner. A few years later, the Tayloes offered the house for use as the French Embassy, where the Treaty of Ghent was signed by President James Madison to end the War of 1812 (he was working there temporarily following the 1814 burning of the White House). The house was sold in 1855, and since used as a military hospital during the Civil War, an apartment building, a girl's school, and has been owned by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) since 1902. The house is now used as a museum.
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building was built in 1871 to house the War and Navy Departments, replacing the obsolete War Office building on the same site. By World War II, the War and Navy Departments outgrew the building, and were spread out in numerous additional temporary structures on the National Mall. After the military relocated to the Pentagon in 1943, the building fell into disrepair and was regarded by President Harry Truman as "the greatest monstrosity in America". The Eisenhower Executive Office Building has since been used for Presidential executive offices. The first televised Presidential news conference took place in the Indian Treaty Room in 1955, and the building now houses the Vice President's office, along with the National Security Council and other executive offices.
The building that now houses the Renwick Gallery was originally the home of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. It was designed by James Renwick, Jr., and construction began before the Civil War. Near completion, it was used during the Civil War as a government warehouse, and construction was finally completed in 1874. By 1897, the Corcoran Gallery collection outgrew the space and relocated to a new building on 17th St. The building was transferred in 1965 to the Smithsonian Institution for use as an art gallery. The Renwick focuses on contemporary craft and decorative art.
The Blair House was built in 1824 for Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Lowell, and sold in 1837 to real estate mogul, Francis Preston Blair and inherited by Montgomery Blair. The adjacent house was owned by the Robert E. Lee family. The U.S. government bought the Blair House in 1942, and has since used it as the official guest house for state visitors, at the insistence of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who was tired of running into Winston Churchill and other visitors roaming around the White House in the middle of the night. Today, the Blair house not only consists of the original townhouse, but includes the Lee House and two other adjacent townhouses. The total space of 70,000 sq ft exceeds that of the White House. Blair House is not open to the public.
Benjamin Henry Latrobe designed the house, completed in 1818, for naval hero Stephen Decatur and his wife. Its distinguished neo-classical architecture and prominent location across from the White House made Decatur House one of the capital's most desirable addresses and home of many of the nation's most prominent figures. Later residents included Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren, and Judah P. Benjamin. The Decatur House is now used as a museum, and is open to the public.
Fabric heaven. Everything is very thoughtfully exhibited and this museum happens to have one of the finest collection of fabrics in the world.