Historical Tours
Tour of the Decatur House- White House Historical Association
- Item Number
- 152
- Estimated Value
- Priceless
- Opening Bid
- 150 USD
Item Description
The White House Historical Association has generously donated a 6-8 person tour of the Decatur House (located in Washington, D.C.)
The Historic Decatur House: When Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., and his wife, Susan, moved to the new federal city in 1816, they purchased land on the northwest corner of the President’s Park (today's Lafayette Square) with the prize money Decatur was awarded for his naval conquests in the War of 1812. The Decaturs commissioned Benjamin Henry Latrobe, America’s first professional architect and engineer, to design a home “fit for entertaining.” In Washington, Latrobe also designed St. John’s Episcopal Church (better known as the President’s Parish) and parts of the White House.
Built in 1818-1819, the Decaturs' home was the first private residence in the White House neighborhood. Thereafter known as Decatur House, it was a nearly square three-story town house constructed with red brick in the austere Federal fashion of the day. In 1819, the Decaturs moved in with high expectations for the Capital City as well as their own social position. Already a celebrity from his conquests in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, Stephen Decatur became one of Washington’s most celebrated figures, and the couple advanced their position by throwing a number of lavish parties in their new house. Unfortunately, the couple only occupied the house for a mere fourteen months as Decatur was mortally wounded in a duel against Commodore James Barron on March 22, 1820.
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