Spectral tales to ponder on a chilly October night.

By Donna Evers

The Walsh-McLean House, now the Embassy of Indonesia.

The 1800’s were the heyday for ghosts in Washington. Seances were in high demand as the central attraction at house parties and even the most prominent people consulted with spiritualists in an attempt to reach their dearly departed. People believed in God and the devil with equal passion in those days and they were convinced that ghosts inhabited their former homes in search of the peace and resolution that had escaped them in death.

Now we want rational explanations for things that go bump in the night. Even so, powerful stories and images can still make us look over our shoulder on a dark evening. One such influence was the tremendous effect the 1973 film classic The Exorcist had on viewers, especially Washingtonians, who will never look at “the Exorcist Stairs” the same way. Maybe this can help us relate to previous generations’ fascination with ghosts.

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Washington’s famed Willard Hotel has been a political gathering place for nearly 200 years.

By Donna Evers

The second Willard Hotel, completed in 1904, occupies a prime spot near the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. (Photo courtesy of the hotel)

Although lobbyists seem to be out of favor these days, it is interesting to know that the term is said to have originated in the lobby of the old Willard Hotel. The story goes that President Ulysses S. Grant used to slip out of the White House and visit the neighboring Willard to enjoy brandy and a cigar. As soon as Washington power brokers found out about his forays, they started frequenting the lobby as well, hoping for an opportunity to secure favors for themselves and their clients. While history books claim that the term came from England a half century earlier, Grant is widely credited with coining the term “lobbyist” to describe those who stalked him in his favorite hangout.

The Willard’s ornate lobby would have made Grant and other 1860’-era visitors feel right at home, although the current hotel bearing the Willard name is very different from the original. While there had been an inn on the site since 1816, the Willard brothers didn’t come onto the scene until 1850, when they bought a row of townhouses and began renting out rooms. The family enterprise grew, and in 1904, architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh was retained to create the capital’s first “skyscraper,” which soon became famous for its luxurious rooms, its electric elevators and serving the first ice cream sodas in town. After the Willards sold the hotel in 1946, it fell into bankruptcy before closing in 1968. Finally, the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation, the Oliver Carr Company and Intercontinental Hotels reopened the Willard in 1986 after spending about $120 million to restore it to Gilded Age splendor.
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A trio of grandes dames ran Washington society for decades and left the city with three irreplaceable gifts.

By Donna Evers

Mrs. Truxtun Beale greets the Chinese ambassador and his wife at her December, 1938, diplomatic reception at Decatur House.

From the 1920’s to the 1960’s, Mrs. Truxtun Beale, Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss, and Mrs. Robert Low Bacon reigned supreme as Washington’s leading hostesses. Because their surnames all began with the same letter, they were referred to as “the Three B’s.” A popular saying of the day was that when you first arrived in the city, you dropped your calling card at the Three B’s, and then you went to the White House.

Of the dowager social arbiters, perhaps the most formidable (some said imperious) was Mrs. Truxtun Beale, the former Marie Oge (1881-1956), a California heiress who was forever perfecting her guest list. The on dit was that “if you were invited to the Beales’, you’d made it.”

A 1949 Time article reported that Mrs. Beale “entertains with a rigid selectivity at Decatur House, the only house in Washington still lighted by gas and candle light.” Her most heralded function was the white-tie party she hosted after the annual White House diplomatic reception, which took place, conveniently enough, just across Lafayette Square from her residence.

Even though this lady had an impeccable reputation, her name had been associated with a scandal that never followed her to Washington. After a San Francisco writer slandered her good name, her then-fiancé, Truxtun Beale, and a friend attacked and shot the perpetrator in his own home. When the man recovered and charges were dismissed, the couple repaired to Boston for a small, quiet wedding followed by a long European honeymoon to let the scandal die down. The incident seems to have been passed over when the Beales became prominent figures in the capital. (Mrs. Beale, who was so discreet that she rarely allowed her photograph to be published, remained above reproach.)
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Exiled diplomats from three small countries kept their hopes of freedom alive for 50 years.

By Donna Evers

For 50 years until it achieved independence, the largest piece of free Lithuania was its legation in Washington, D.C. located at 2622 16th Street NW.

Behind the elegant facades of the embassies of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is a fascinating story that took 50 years to unfold. The pride and prosperity of these three Baltic countries is reflected in each of the embassy buildings. Latvia’s embassy on Sheridan Circle is a Spanish Mission style mansion where heiress Alice Pike Barney gave musicales and theatrical presentations at the turn of the last century. The Lithuanians are renovating their 37-room, early 1900’s George Totten Jr. Italianate mansion on 16th Street N.W. (which they have occupied since 1924), and the Estonian embassy is a restored 1902 Beaux Arts building on Embassy Row a few blocks north of Dupont Circle. The pride of these countries is centuries old, but their recent prosperity only came about after decades of suffering, endurance, and exile.

In 1940, three countries were overrun by the Soviet Union following a brief period of independence between the two world wars. The United States, refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the Soviet occupation, allowed them to maintain official legations here; Estonia located its delegation in New York City, while Latvia and Lithuania established theirs in Washington. These lonely entities would act as the official representatives of their governments-in-exile for the next five decades.

The U.S.S.R.’s brutal subjugation of the three Baltic countries meant, among other things, the frequent arrest and execution of “anti-Soviet elements.” Many people fled over the borders, driving overland and even trying to cross the Baltic Sea in small boats. Many others were deported to Siberia to serve out “prison sentences.” Altogether, between the Nazi and Soviet occupations of the 1940’s, the three countries lost 20 to 25 percent of their populations. In addition, during the entire period of Soviet occupation, the countries’ resources were depleted, their infrastructures destroyed, and their economies ruined.
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The early mansion-ization of Dupont Circle… and how one “palace builder” avoided a gypsy’s curse.

by Donna Evers

Mary Scott Townsend's living room

In the late 1800’s, at the  advent of Washington’s Gilded Age, a group of developers  got together and began buying land around what is now Dupont Circle, for the bargain price of 60 cents a foot. Although it sounds unbelievably cheap, at that time the area was a marshy wasteland nicknamed “The Slashes” after the foul-smelling Slash Creek that ran through the area and served as a general dumping ground. This “California Syndicate” of wealthy  investors got interested when they heard that Boss Shepherd, head of the Board of Public Works, was buying land there and planned to build roads, streets and infrastructure. So, over the next twenty years, the area went from being mud flats in the middle of nowhere to becoming the social center of the city, as the Western gentlemen who followed Boss Shepherd’s lead settled in to build their dream houses.

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How Washington became skyscraper-free.

by Donna Evers

The Cairo stands tall at 1615 Q St., NW.

The brilliant blueprint for the nation’s capital, created by Pierre L’Enfant in 1791, was enhanced and perfected one hundred years later by two events: the construction of hundreds of beautifully designed apartment buildings and the height limits set in place that make it possible for Washingtonians to see and enjoy these architectural treasures. As it turned out, these events were directly related: the construction of one of the remarkable new buildings inspired the height limit laws that keep Washington skyscraper-free and therefore unique among U.S. cities.

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The Magnificent Plan of Pierre L’Enfant

by Donna Evers

The Original District plan drawn by L'Enfant

The plan for America’s capital city, created by Pierre L’Enfant over 200 years ago, was both prophecy and tribute. Since history teaches us that prophets are seldom appreciated in their own time, it should come as no surprise that L’Enfant died long before he got the recognition which he so richly deserved.
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From the ashes of grief, Duncan Phillips’ “phoenix” rose.

by Donna Evers

The house at 21st and Q streets, NW, circa 1900.

The Phillips Collection – the art collection that so many Washingtonians describe as their favorite – was born out of equal parts of love and loss. The Great Influenza Epidemic of 1918 killed 100 million people around the world, including the beloved brother of Duncan Phillips. James Phillips‘ death occurred only a year after Duncan’s father died, and the weight of these tragedies plunged Duncan Phillips into a state of despair. His love of art, by his own description, saved him. This is the story of how it happened.
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The camera-ready Kennedys evoked the mystique of Camelot.

by Donna Evers

A photo of Jackie Kennedy during her White House years.

When President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his beautiful, young wife moved into the White House, it was the beginning of a new era in American style. Handsome and photogenic, with adorable little children in tow, they provided a considerable contrast to the plain, aging Eisenhowers of the preceding regime. The young president presented the voters with a brilliant vision for the country’s future. The newly refurbished executive mansion – whose renovations were directed by Jackie Kennedy in person – became the setting for glittering dinner parties presided over by French chefs. These evenings featured a stunning guest list of notables from the world of music, art and literature. Presiding over this splendor, Ms. Kennedy floated regally through the magazines and newspapers in one gorgeous gown after another. Princess Diana may have captured the hearts of her countrymen in the 1980’s, but in the ’60’s, Jackie was our queen.

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The legacy of Washington architect Jules Henri de Sibour

By Donna Evers

The Clarence Moore house at 1746 Massachusetts Avenue, now the Embassy of Uzbekistan.

In the early 1900’s, Dupont Circle rivaled New York’s upper Fifth Avenue as the place for prominent and wealthy people to congregate, and it was the first time Washington had a concentration of people rich enough to define themselves by the homes they built. The captains of industry and commerce were as wealthy as kings and commissioned houses as grand as European palaces. Many of them found the appropriate symbol for their status in the exuberant Beaux Arts architectural style, and the perfect architect in Jules Henri de Sibour.
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The curiously similar stories of Charles Lindbergh and Cissy Patterson

by Donna Evers

Patterson House at 15 Dupont Circle, circa 1901. It is the present home of "The Washington Club."

In 1927, 25-year-old Charles Lindbergh stood on the balcony of 15 Dupont Circle and waved to the crowds who had mobbed the area to catch a glimpse of the most celebrated hero in America. Lindbergh was received by President Calvin Coolidge in this private residence because Washington socialite and newspaper editor, Cissy Patterson, loaned the Coolidge’s her Dupont mansion while the White House was undergoing renovations.

Though it’s not clear that Cissy Patterson and Charles Lindbergh were acquainted, their fates intersected in many interesting ways. Lindbergh’s path to fame and fortune came when a French hotelier from New York promised to pay $25,000 to the first aviators who could fly from Paris to New York or vice versa.

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How the Hope Diamond came to Washington

By Donna Evers

The Hope Diamond today, as seen at the Smithsonian.

 The legendary Hope Diamond rotates slowly behind a thick wall of bullet-proof glass, reflecting the halogen lighting in flashes of brilliance as it moves. It is the most popular exhibit in the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum for three reasons: its magnificence, its value and the famous curse. The gem is said to bring misfortune and death to anyone who owns it.

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The rise and fall of Washington Visionary Alexander “Boss” Shepherd.

By Donna Evers

Shepherd's Row, on the corner of K and 12th Streets, in 1909.

When the Civil War ended in 1865, Washington doubled in size with a population of 109,000 and no real infrastructure. The roads were mud ruts, there was no running water or sewers and few street lights. The situation was so bad that there was a growing lobby in Congress to move the capitol to St. Louis, Missouri. But a powerful and influential man by the name of Alexander Robey Shepherd got Congress to make the District a territory with an appointed governor and a board of public works to correct the problem. Shepherd got himself appointed to the board, and lost no time in taking over the project.

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How an American industrialist, a British baron and a luxurious Washington apartment building all played a part in the making of the National Gallery

By Donna Evers

Andrew W. Mellon in his sumptuous apartment in the McCormick Building.

The most luxurious apartment building in Washington’s history was created in 1906, when International Harvester heir Stanley McCormick hired architect Jules de Sibour to design a Beaux Arts building for the rich and famous. The imposing structure at 1785 Massachusetts Avenue N.W., had six colossal apartments, most of which had 11,000 square feet of living space and 21 rooms with oval foyers, huge drawing rooms and extensive servants quarters. (To give these figures some perspective, a 2,000 square foot apartment in Washington today is considered to be large.)

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Mary Foote Henderson’s “castle” may be gone, but her legacy remains

by Donna Evers

Henderson's Castle during Washington's golden age.

When walking by the Beekman Place Condominiums on the northwest corner of 16th Street and Florida Avenue, one notices what looks like sections of a castle wall, complete with crenellations and battlements. This wall is all that remains of a fabulous heap, known as “Henderson’s Castle,” built in the Gilded Age of Washington, D.C.

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Razor-witted First Daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth and her Massachusetts Avenue home

By Donna Evers

Alice Roosevelt Longworth as a young woman. She was known for her striking beauty throughout her life.

Just above Dupont Circle at 2009 Massachusetts Avenue, the stately Beaux Arts townhouse that is now the headquarters for the Washington Legal Foundation was for decades the most influential salon in Washington and the home of Alice Roosevelt Longworth.
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The short history of an ambitious plan to develop high-end real estate in the middle of nowhere.

By Donna Evers

The Chevy Chase Club

If you look at the grainy photos of Chevy Chase Circle when it was first plowed, you see a muddy road circling a treeless pasture far from anywhere Washingtonians wanted to live. But Senator Frances Newlands of Nevada had both the vision and the money to form the Chevy Chase Land Company and invest $1,250,000 (a fortune in 1893) to replace the empty fields around the circle with a community of expensive houses for the “leisure class”, far away from the then fashionable Dupont Circle or Cleveland Park. Regrettably, his planned community did not come to full fruition until after he died. And, Senator Newlands never knew that the hunt club he started as an afterthought would go on to be one of the most prestigious country clubs in America.
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Woodrow Wilson and his post-presidency Kalorama home.

by Donna Evers

President Wilson smiling as WWI comes to an end.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of President Woodrow Wilson’s birthday. The 28th president was the only chief executive apart from Bill Clinton to move directly from the White House to a home in Washington.

After his presidency, Wilson retired to 2340 S. Street N.W., now the capital’s only Presidential house museum, which is teeming with artifacts and is a virtual history lesson itself. Designed by sought-after Washington architect Waddy Wood and located in Kalorama, the Georgian Revival house cost the Wilson’s $150,000 in 1921. They bought it with $50,000 the president received from the 1919 Nobel Prize and with money raised and donated by friends. His second wife, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, was independently wealthy and could have paid for it, but the president didn’t think it was right for a woman to buy a family home. Following Scottish tradition, Wilson presented her with a piece of sod from the garden and the key to the front door. She proceeded to make the handsome residence into a modern home.

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The story of the Hay-Adams House starts with two enterprising couples

By Donna Evers

The Hay-Adams house upon completion in 1886.

Houses bear witness to triumphs and tragedies. The construction and history of a property — and its destruction, in the case of the Hay-Adams House — tells the story of the men and women who inhabited it and the Gilded Age in which they lived.

Henry Adams, great-grandson of President John Adams and grandson of John Quincy Adams, grew up in privileged circumstances in Boston in the mid-1800’s. He wrote many books throughout his life and is best remembered for his autobiography, “The Education of Henry Adams,” an insightful book about the social fabric of this country in the era following the Civil War.

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Developer Harry Wardman’s properties are still highly prized.

By Donna Evers

The Wardman Park Hotel and Tower.

When real estate agents describe their listings in Northwest Washington, they are always happy to add “It’s a Wardman” if the house or apartment building was built by Harry Wardman, one of the city’s most successful real estate developers int he city’s history.
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The saga of the Walsh-McLean house is one the greatest rags-to-riches stories from Washington’s Gilded Age.

By Donna Evers

The Walsh-McLean residence housed the Federal Writers Project during the New Deal, was used by the Red Cross during World War II, and became the Indonesian Embassy in 1951. The 60-room mansion was designed in the Beaux Arts style and completed in 1902. Photograph, Deedy Ogden.

Thomas Walsh emigrated to the United States from in Ireland in 1869 at the age of 19 with empty pockets and a drive to succeed. He went out west to seek his fortune, and he found it. He struck gold in, of all places, a silver mine in Colorado in the late 1880’s. At its peak, the mine was producing $5,000 dollars worth of gold daily. In 1903, he sold it for $5 million, plus a percentage of its phenomenal annual output, and moved to Dupont circle.

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