The Octagon - Temporary White House of 1814
The Octagon: Completed in 1801 for John Tayloe III of Mount Airy, VA, and designed by William Thornton, the original architect of the U.S. Capitol, the Octagon is one of the most significant and transitional buildings to remain standing from the early federal city. architectsfoundation.org
The Octagon House, completed in 1801, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe III House, is located at 1799 New York Avenue in Washington, D.C. The home was initially designed as the winter home of John Tayloe III and his family. The three-story brick house adapted to an irregular-shaped lot formed by angled streets. The design is a transition from the more familiar late Georgian of the time to Federal architecture and planning that preceded it. The floor plan is the geometric use of a circle, two rectangles, and a triangle with a new disciplined restraint of the interior and exterior decoration. The Octagon House, the White House, and the Capital all went up in the new capital city of Washington simultaneously.
After the British destroyed the White House (1814) during the War of 1812, the Octagon House served as the temporary residence of President James and First Lady Dolley Madison for six months - the Madison's paid $500 in rent. Dr. William Thornton, the first architect of the U.S. Capitol, designed the house, incorporating many of the ideals through its architecture of the philosophy of the new republic.
US Capitol 1799: The Octagon House, the White House, and the Capital all went up in the new capital city of Washington simultaneously. Congress moved to D.C. in 1800.
The Octagon Floor Plan: A unique floorplan solution adapted to its triangular-shaped lot.
The Octagon c. 1814: In the early 19th century, Washington, D.C., was called "the city of magnificent distances" and "the city of streets without houses."
The curved door is the first thing you notice when you walk into the Octagon House. The door is made from two pieces of wood curved and locked together. The entrance is a circular room with several large South-facing curved windows—with its gray and white marble floor. Imported cast-iron stoves conveyed wealth and formality. During the burning of Washington, the British were under strict orders not to destroy private property. The Octagon was flying a French Flag as a diplomatic residence at the time, and the home was spared. James and Dolley Madison used the Octagon for six months. During their time, President Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent in the house's circular second-floor "Treaty Room." The backstory of this building draws you into a period of dramatic events, of egos, epic challenges.
The Octagon Entrance Hall: The curved door at the Entrance Hall of the Octagon House is your first impression entering. The door is made from two pieces of wood curved and locked together. The entrance is a circular room with several large South-facing curved windows—with its gray and white marble floor. President Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent at the end of the War of 1812 in the circular second-floor "Treaty Room" above the Entrance Hall.
Entrance Hall: Featuring a pair of Imported cast-iron stoves that conveyed wealth and formality, heated the entrance hall of The Octagon. Residential coal for heating was just being introduced.
Drawing Room: A beautifully carved fireplace - The Tayloe Family referred to the house as "The Octagon." Originally a winter home, the family made it their residence in 1818.
Stair Hall: The spiral staircase goes up for three floors in a space shaped like an oval that fits the design of the angled floorplan that accommodates the lot on which the home is built.
Drawing Room: A painting over the mantel of the Tayloe's while in residence - The family lived here until 1855, when the neighborhood was transitioning and becoming more commercial.
Treaty Room: The Octagon Treaty Room is where the U.S. signing of the Treaty of Ghent by James Madison occurred, ultimately ending the war between the United States and Britain.
Tayloe Residence: In 1828, John Tayloe III died at The Octagon. His wife Anne would live another 27 years before dying at the house in 1855. In 1990 AIA restored the home to its original 1817–18 look.
Dining Room: On the main floor is the large dining room. There are two doors into the room – the one nearer the front for the guests and the door in the back for the servants. The door in the back leads to a back staircase that runs from the basement to the upper floors.
After the 1855 death of Anne Tayloe, the heirs started a rental cycle of ongoing tenants. Many historic properties experience a similar fate once the original owner and builder are gone, and the family fades away or loses interest. The Octagon would be a school, government offices, and tenement housing. Both the country and its politics were changing, and the neighborhood evolved. In 1898, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) obtained the property. In the 1940s, AIA wanted to create office space in the former back outbuildings leading to decades of committees, meetings, drawings, and rejections by the Commission on Fine Arts. A final solution of 80,000 square feet was reached in 1967 but rejected in 1968, and a new design was approved in 1970. and the new AIA building opened in 1973.
A problem in designing the house was a plan that would fit the triangular lot cut away on the bias by the diagonal of New York Ave.
Started in 1799 and completed in 1801 - this Federalist-style home was one of the grandest townhouses in the nation at the time..
The Octagon is built in brick and trimmed with Aquia Creek sandstone. The large number of windows used was exceptional at the time.
The American Institute of Architects: The American Institute of Architects (AIA) established its national headquarters on-site in 1898 and restored the building as one of the country's earliest preservation projects. In the 1970s, AIA constructed its current office on the site of The Octagon's original outbuildings, opening The Octagon to the public as a museum. Now owned by the Architects Foundation, "The Octagon inspires current and future architects, highlighting important moments and movements in American and architectural history." aia.org
