The Octagon House, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe House, is located at 1799 New York Avenue, Northwest in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C.. It was designed by William Thornton, the architect of the U.S. Capitol, and built between 1798 and 1800 in Washington, D.C.. Colonel John Tayloe, for whom the house was built, owned Mt. Airy Plantation, located approximately 100 miles south of Washington, D.C. in Richmond County, Virgi...
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The Octagon House, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe House, is located at 1799 New York Avenue, Northwest in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C.. It was designed by William Thornton, the architect of the U.S. Capitol, and built between 1798 and 1800 in Washington, D.C.. Colonel John Tayloe, for whom the house was built, owned Mt. Airy Plantation, located approximately 100 miles south of Washington, D.C. in Richmond County, Virginia. Tayloe was reputed to be the richest Virginian plantation owner of his time, and built the house in Washington at the suggestion of George Washington on land purchased from Benjamin Stoddert, first Secretary of the Navy. When British troops were advancing on Washington, D.C., the Tayloes approached the French ambassador and offered use of their home as the French embassy. The offer was accepted, the French ambassador declared the home an embassy and The Octagon House survived the War of 1812 intact. In 1814, Colonel Tayloe offered the use...
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