The Octagon Museum

The Octagon House, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe III House, is a historic mansion in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The house was built in 1799 for John Tayloe III, who was considered one of the wealthiest planters in the country at the time. On the advice of George Washington, whose family was related to the Tayloes by marriage, Tayloe decided to build his winter residence in the new capital rather than in Philadelphia. The architect William Thornton designed the house to make the best possible use of the irregular, triangular lot at the corner of New York Avenue and 18th Street. Although the building actually has six sides, the Tayloe family called it the Octagon, probably because of the eight angles created by its unusual shape. The brick construction, decorated with sandstone, is considered a masterpiece of Federal architecture.

Particularly significant historically is the year 1814, when the house became the temporary residence of the president after the British set fire to the White House during the War of 1812. James Madison and his wife, Dolley Madison, lived in the building for six months. During this time, Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, in the upstairs study. Dolley Madison was known for hosting social evenings there. After the Tayloes died in the 19th century, the house served a variety of purposes, including as an office building for the U.S. Navy and as a residence for several families. In 1902, the American Institute of Architects purchased the building, which served as its national headquarters until the 1960s.

Today the Octagon House is a museum operated by the American Institute of Architects Foundation and is a National Historic Landmark. The interiors were restored in the early 1990s to their appearance around 1817, so visitors can admire the original furnishings, including mahogany doors, a round vestibule, and imported decorative elements. The museum offers self-guided tours, rotating exhibitions, and public events. The building is also the setting for numerous ghost legends, including reports of mysteriously ringing bells and the alleged appearance of Dolley Madison, which lends the place an added mystique.