CHANCERIESTHE DIPLOMATIC ATLAS

Wilkins House, Peruvian Chancery

View the architectural study
Interpretive architectural study of the catalogued property.

1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC

Emily J. Wilkins commissioned this house at Massachusetts Avenue and 17th Street. Jules Henri de Sibour designed it, and William P. Lipscomb built it between spring 1909 and June 1910. The corner entrance joined two street elevations in a house initially intended for private residential use. [1]

The house later accommodated Finland’s legation, listed in directories for 1925–1927, and Australian War Supplies in 1943–1946. Australia bought the property on 10 January 1947. The Australian chancery appears in the survey’s directory chronology for 1947–1969; the house is listed as vacant in 1970–1972. Australia sold it to Peru by a deed dated 31 January 1973, after which Peru renovated it for its chancery. [1]

Diplomatic Use

Changes to the Property

  • Construction completed: 1910-06 [1]
  • Australia acquired the house: 1947-01-10 [1]
  • Peru acquired the house: 1973-01-31 [1]

Jules Henri de Sibour designed this limestone house for Emily J. Wilkins. Peru acquired it from Australia in 1973.

FactValueBasis and sources
Constructed1910verified Construction began spring 1909 and ended June 1910. CAMA records 1930; the contemporaneous permit/HABS chronology takes priority.
  1. tile.loc.gov
  2. www.embassyofperu.org
Acquired by Peru31 January 1973verified
  1. tile.loc.gov
  2. www.embassyofperu.org
NeighborhoodDupont Circleverified; Geographic neighborhood of 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, at the western edge of Scott Circle. Neighborhood labels use familiar geographic names.
  1. tile.loc.gov
ArchitectJules Henri de Sibourverified
  1. tile.loc.gov
  2. www.embassyofperu.org
Rooms20–40 est.estimated; Editorial estimate from the documented 20,250 sq ft floor area. Assume that 55–65% is enclosed, occupied room area, with an average of 350–500 sq ft per room; round the resulting limits outward to the nearest five rooms. Circulation, parking, stairs and open workstations are not counted as rooms. The allocation and room sizes are assumptions, not measurements from a floor plan. Commercial CAMA inventory does not provide room count.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
Floor area20,300 sq ftverified; DC gross building area
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
Site area5,100 sq ftverified; Parcel total: 0158/0072. DC ITSPE LANDAREA, recorded square feet. Roads and unrelated neighboring parcels excluded.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
2026 Value$9.9Mverified; Parcel total: 0158/0072. Active 2026 DC ITSPE ASSESSMENT; land plus improvements. Not proposed value, tax owed, sale price or leasehold value.
  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov

Scope and Evidence

Construction began spring 1909 and ended June 1910. CAMA records 1930; the contemporaneous permit/HABS chronology takes priority.

Commercial CAMA inventory does not provide room count.

DC tax assessment. ASSESSMENT is the current total; CY1YEAR and CY2YEAR are both 2026. NEWTOTAL is a proposed value and is not used.

DC tax valuation. A verified 1973 purchase price was not found.

  1. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
  2. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
  3. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
  4. maps2.dcgis.dc.gov
  5. planning.dc.gov
  6. tile.loc.gov
  7. www.embassyofperu.org

Research Questions

Where Is Embassy of the Republic of Peru?

1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Approximate location from official DC parcel geometry; street marker may use 38.907836, -77.038653 from the 2024 embassy site application.

Sources and basis

When Was Embassy of the Republic of Peru Built?

Constructed: 1910. Record status: verified. Construction began spring 1909 and ended June 1910. CAMA records 1930; the contemporaneous permit/HABS chronology takes priority. Verified in the record on 2026-10-20.

Sources and basis

Who Designed Embassy of the Republic of Peru?

Architect: Jules Henri de Sibour. Record status: verified. Verified in the record on 2026-10-20.

Sources and basis

What Is the Floor Area of Embassy of the Republic of Peru?

Floor area: 20,300 sq ft. Record status: verified. DC gross building area Verified in the record on 2026-10-24.

Sources and basis

What Is the Site Area of Embassy of the Republic of Peru?

Site area: 5,100 sq ft. Record status: verified. Parcel total: 0158/0072. DC ITSPE LANDAREA, recorded square feet. Roads and unrelated neighboring parcels excluded. Verified in the record on 2026-10-24.

Sources and basis

What Is the 2026 Value of Embassy of the Republic of Peru?

2026 Value: $9.9M. Record status: verified. Parcel total: 0158/0072. 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

Sources

  1. Wilkins House (Peruvian Embassy), Historic American Buildings Survey

    HABS DC-276, physical report p. 1 (PDF p. 2), Australian Embassy use in 1947–1973; p. 5 (PDF p. 6), deed dated January 31, 1973

    Report pp. 1, 5, 6, and 9 (PDF pp. 2, 6, 7, and 10): use overview, deeds, construction permit, alterations, and directory chronology

  2. Embassy of Peru: chancery history

    Acquisition from Australia on 31 January 1973 and use as Peru’s chancery

  3. Embassy of Peru — César Vallejo commemorative-work application
  4. DC property record
  5. DC property record
  6. Property audit: Embassy of Peru Chancery — 2026 Value
  7. Property audit: Embassy of Peru Chancery — Floor area

Notes

  • The HABS overview gives 1947–1973 as Australian embassy use; its directory table lists the house as vacant in 1970–1972.

Related Reading

Cite This Article

Wilkins House, Peruvian Chancery. Chanceries Diplopedia. Record version cf51ce6a0f3cd5ff8432.

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