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Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings

	DECATUR HOUSE District of Columbia
748 Jackson Place NW., at the corner of H Street, Washington. Travel Itinerary The Stephen Decatur House

Ownership and Administration. National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Significance. This house, the first private dwelling on Lafayette Square, is a fine example of a Federal-period townhouse and is one of the few original houses that have survived on the historic square. Built by the distinguished naval hero, Commodore Stephen Decatur, throughout the years it has housed a number of prominent foreign diplomats and U.S. political and military leaders.

In 1818 Decatur, naval hero of the War of 1812 and of the War with Tripoli, decided to build a permanent residence in Washington with prize money he had won during his naval career. He purchased a small tract of land a few hundred yards away from the White House and retained Benjamin H. Latrobe, architect of nearby St. John's Episcopal Church and parts of the White House and Capitol, to design a house. Latrobe, designing a townhouse as rugged and compact as a ship, restricted external ornamentation. Late in 1818 workmen finished the house, and early the following year the Decaturs moved in. They lived there for little more than 1 year, however, for in 1820 at the age of 41 Decatur died in the house after a duel with Commodore James Barron at the Bladensburg dueling ground. Decatur, member of a board that had courtmartialed Barron, had gained Barron's enduring enmity, and Barron had challenged him to a duel.

After Decatur's death the house became headquarters for the French Legation and home of the French Minister to the United States, Baron Hyde de Neuville. In 1822 De Neuville returned to France, and the Russian Minister, Baron de Tuyll, moved in. Three Secretaries of State were the next occupants: From 1827 to 1829, Henry Clay, Secretary under John Quincy Adams; from 1829 to 1831, Martin Van Buren, Secretary under Andrew Jackson and later Vice President and President; and from 1831 to 1833, Edward Livingston, also Secretary under Jackson. From 1834 to 1835 Charles Vaughan, British Minister to the United States, lived in the house, after which John Gadsby purchased it. After his death, in 1844, his wife leased the house to various tenants, including George M. Dallas, Vice President under Polk, and several Congressmen.

Decatur House, one of the few surviving original buildings on historic Lafayette Square, is a Federal-style townhouse built in 1818 by naval hero Stephen Decatur. It has been the residence of many national and international dignitaries.

Following the Civil War, during which the Federal Government used Decatur House for emergency offices, Gen. Edward F. Beale, a Californian and hero of the Mexican War, purchased the house. He added heavy sandstone trim around the entrance and first-floor windows on the front facade, and installed gaslights. In the drawing rooms he laid parquet floors of rare California woods and embellished the floor of one room with the California State seal. After 1870 he divided his time between Decatur House and Rancho Tejon, in California. Following his death, in 1893, his son, Truxtun, inherited the house. Truxtun Beale died in 1936, but his widow continued to occupy the house. In 1944 she retained Thomas T. Waterman, a noted architect, to restore it according to 11 original Latrobe drawings in her possession. In 1953 she bequeathed it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Present Appearance. Decatur House, an elegant three-story brick townhouse in Federal style, has spacious rooms with high ceilings and artistic doorways. On the first floor are a dining room and library. Extending back from the dining room is a long wing, once containing servants' quarters, which partially encloses a formal rear garden. A large entrance hall leads through two archways and up a curving staircase to two drawing rooms on the second floor. Preserved in the house are original furnishings and artifacts associated with the various owners. The remodeled stables and carriage house at the rear of the house are now the Truxtun-Decatur Naval Museum, operated by the Naval Historical Foundation. Though preserved as a historic house museum, Decatur House is also used by the U.S. Navy for official entertaining.

NHL Designation: 12/19/60