CHANCERIESTHE DIPLOMATIC ATLAS

Indian Ambassador’s Residence

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Interpretive architectural study of the catalogued property.

2700 Macomb Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

The Homestead Above Rock Creek

David Joseph Kaufman and Clara J. Luchs Kaufman made their home on the hillside above Rock Creek in 1914. Frederick Bennett Pyle designed their house at 2700 Macomb Street, which they called the Homestead. The five acre setting lay east of Connecticut Avenue, where substantial estates survived beside Cleveland Park’s growing residential streets. [1]

Diplomat Walter H. Schoellkopf and his wife, Anna Johnston Schoellkopf, commissioned a major enlargement in 1930. Architect Ward Brown gave the house its Georgian appearance. The Schoellkopfs entertained there while in Washington and leased it during overseas postings. Joseph E. Davies and Marjorie Merriweather Post were among their tenants before buying the nearby Tregaron estate. [1]

The city’s preservation histories date India’s acquisition to 1945. Known as both the Homestead and La Quinta, the house became an ambassadorial residence with space for official hospitality. [1] [2]

A Residence in the Work of Diplomacy

During the October 1975 Indo–U.S. Joint Commission visit, External Affairs Minister Y. B. Chavan was scheduled to host Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the residence on October 6. Ambassador T. N. Kaul planned a reception for the American delegation the following evening. Formal commission sessions and the signing of an agreed minute were assigned to the State Department. [3]

The visit followed India’s cancellation of an earlier commission meeting after the United States lifted its South Asian arms embargo. American officials expected Chavan to raise arms supplies to Pakistan and requests for economic assistance, while also discussing U.S. reactions to India’s state of emergency. [3]

India House occupies a wooded Cleveland Park estate. Built in 1914 and enlarged in 1930, the former Kaufman and Schoellkopf home became India’s official residence in 1945.

FactValueBasis and sources
Constructed1914verified; Historic district nomination and preservation history prevail over conflicting CAMA AYB 1960 and EYB 2008.
  1. planning.dc.gov
Acquired by India1945verified; Ward 3 Heritage Guide and DC Writers Homes. The principal residence acquisition/use year is not asserted for every later parcel component.
  1. planning.dc.gov
  2. www.historicchevychasedc.org
NeighborhoodCleveland Parkverified; Historic district and geographic name. The OTR assessment neighborhood, Forest Hills, is a separate classification.
    ArchitectFrederick B. Pyle; Ward Brown (1930)verified; Attribution scoped by construction phase.
    1. planning.dc.gov
    Rooms24verified; Current DC residential CAMA ROOMS for the identified dwelling; this assessor count is distinct from bedrooms, bathrooms or the number of modeled room studies.
    1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    Floor area16,600 sq ftverified; Residential CAMA GBA field for the principal house; one building record. Do not substitute the commercial listing figure of 23,826 sq ft total building area without reconciling its basis.
    1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    Estate area252,183 sq ftverified; Three contiguous Government or Republic of India parcels: 2216/0804, 2218/0819 and 2218/0820. Principal parcel 240,377 sq ft plus western access/edge parcels of 9,205 and 2,601 sq ft.
    1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    2. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    2026 Value$17.8Mverified; Sum of nonoverlapping estate parcels: 2216/0804, 2218/0819, 2218/0820. Active 2026 DC ITSPE ASSESSMENT; land plus improvements. Not proposed value, tax owed, sale price or leasehold value.
    1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    Site area252,200 sq ftverified; Sum of nonoverlapping estate parcels: 2216/0804, 2218/0819, 2218/0820. DC ITSPE LANDAREA, recorded square feet. Roads and unrelated neighboring parcels excluded.
    1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov

    Scope and Evidence

    Historic district nomination and preservation history prevail over conflicting CAMA AYB 1960 and EYB 2008.

    Ward 3 Heritage Guide and DC Writers Homes. The principal residence acquisition/use year is not asserted for every later parcel component.

    Residential CAMA GBA field for the principal house; one building record. Do not substitute the commercial listing figure of 23,826 sq ft total building area without reconciling its basis.

    Three contiguous Government or Republic of India parcels: 2216/0804, 2218/0819 and 2218/0820. Principal parcel 240,377 sq ft plus western access/edge parcels of 9,205 and 2,601 sq ft.

    Three-parcel active 2026 ASSESSMENT sum consistent with estate area: principal house parcel $17,287,180 plus $387,990 and $159,880.

    Center of the house’s 2023 roof outline, object 102791.

    The house and immediate landscape model does not claim a complete survey of the 5.79-acre estate.

    16,643 sq ft and 24 rooms describe the principal house. Land area and assessment describe the agreed three-parcel estate.

    The CAMA 1900-01-01 placeholder SALEDATE and null PRICE are not acquisition evidence.

    The principal parcel has a current improvement assessment of $9,090,320. The two edge parcels are unimproved in the 2026 assessment.

    Parcel components: 2216 0804: 240,377 sq ft, 2026 assessment $17,287,180 (land $8,196,860, improvements $9,090,320).; 2218 0819: 9,205 sq ft, 2026 assessment $387,990 (land $387,990, improvements $0).; 2218 0820: 2,601 sq ft, 2026 assessment $159,880 (land $159,880, improvements $0).

    The 2023 DC roofline gives a main block of approximately 19.03 × 15.22 m and an east wing of 17.80 × 14.55 m. The east wing is set back approximately 6.1 m. The model uses metres with a facade-aligned frame and a 25.2° north offset. Roofline is not necessarily wall line. Heights and unseen details are interpreted from photographs and checked against lidar attributes; landscaping is approximate.

    1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    2. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    3. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    4. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    5. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    6. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
    7. planning.dc.gov
    8. www.historicchevychasedc.org

    Research Questions

    Where Is Indian Ambassador’s Residence?

    2700 Macomb Street NW, Washington, DC 20008. Center of the house’s 2023 roof outline, object 102791.

    Sources and basis

    When Was Indian Ambassador’s Residence Built?

    Constructed: 1914. Record status: verified. Historic district nomination and preservation history prevail over conflicting CAMA AYB 1960 and EYB 2008.

    Sources and basis

    Who Designed Indian Ambassador’s Residence?

    Architect: Frederick B. Pyle; Ward Brown (1930). Record status: verified. Attribution scoped by construction phase.

    Sources and basis

    What Is the Floor Area of Indian Ambassador’s Residence?

    Floor area: 16,600 sq ft. Record status: verified. Residential CAMA GBA field for the principal house; one building record. Do not substitute the commercial listing figure of 23,826 sq ft total building area without reconciling its basis. Verified in the record on 2026-10-24.

    Sources and basis

    What Is the 2026 Value of Indian Ambassador’s Residence?

    2026 Value: $17.8M. Record status: verified. Sum of nonoverlapping estate parcels: 2216/0804, 2218/0819, 2218/0820. Active 2026 DC ITSPE ASSESSMENT; land plus improvements. Not proposed value, tax owed, sale price or leasehold value. This is a tax assessment, not a verified sale price or market valuation. Verified in the record on 2026-10-24.

    Sources and basis

    What Is the Site Area of Indian Ambassador’s Residence?

    Site area: 252,200 sq ft. Record status: verified. Sum of nonoverlapping estate parcels: 2216/0804, 2218/0819, 2218/0820. DC ITSPE LANDAREA, recorded square feet. Roads and unrelated neighboring parcels excluded. Verified in the record on 2026-10-24.

    Sources and basis

    Sources

    1. Cleveland Park Historic District: National Register nomination

      Section 7, p. 19 (PDF p. 22), resource table; section 8, pp. 17–18 (PDF pp. 48–49), The Homestead or La Quinta

    2. Ward 3 Heritage Guide

      Printed p. 53 (PDF p. 57), Embassy Residences in Former Homes, India (1945)

    3. India (3): Indo-U.S. Joint Commission schedule and briefing papers, October 1975

      National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for Middle East and South Asia, box 12, India (3); PDF pp. 26–29, briefing; pp. 35–36, October 6–7 schedule

    4. DC ITSPE active property records, selected India diplomatic parcels
    5. DC residential CAMA, India House principal parcel
    6. DC owner polygons, India diplomatic properties
    7. DC Planimetrics2023 Building Footprints, residence
    8. Property audit: Indian Ambassador’s Residence — 2026 Value
    9. Property audit: Indian Ambassador’s Residence — Floor area

    Notes

    • The city’s preservation histories date the purchase to 1945; a later press account gives 1944. The original deed has not resolved this discrepancy.
    • The October 1975 residence events are documented as plans, without a post-event confirmation.

    Related Reading

    Cite This Article

    Indian Ambassador’s Residence. Chanceries Diplopedia. Record version d651e8791fcf144f254b.

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