CHANCERIESTHE DIPLOMATIC ATLAS

Old French Embassy on Sixteenth Street

2460 16th Street NW, Washington, DC

The French Embassy on Meridian Hill

After Ambassador Jules Jusserand complained about crowded quarters on S Street, Mary and John Henderson built a new house for the French embassy in 1907. George Oakley Totten designed the building at 2460 16th Street with a rounded corner tower, a mansard roof, and prominent dormers. It formed part of the Hendersons’ effort to attract foreign missions to Meridian Hill. [1]

Diplomatic Use

Changes to the Property

  • Construction: 1907 [1]

Sources

  1. Meridian Hill Historic District, National Register nomination

    PDF pages 20, 37–38; building inventory and Embassy Row

  2. DC Architects Directory: George Oakley Totten, Jr.

    Totten entry, pages 1-3, especially Significance and Contributions

Notes

  • The detailed nomination and building inventory identify 2460 16th Street. Historical photograph captions using 2400 have not been reconciled, and an isolated 2640 in the nomination is inconsistent with its own inventory.

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