Fraser Mansion

The Fraser Mansion stands at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and 20th Street in the historic Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The building was constructed in 1890 for New York-born merchant George S. Fraser, who used it as his residence until his death in 1896. The architects Hornblower and Marshall designed the house in an early eclectic Beaux-Arts style. It stands out for its three-story facade of red brick and pink granite, defined by a columned entrance porch with a balustrade and a tile-roofed gable roof. Inside, a central open staircase connects the floors, each of which has large, bright halls. Despite later alterations by subsequent owners such as Congressman Joseph Earlston Thropp, who enlarged the dormer windows and added a terrace, among other changes, the house has retained its historic character and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

After the first owner's death, the property went through a varied history. At times it served as a boardinghouse, and from the 1930s it housed various restaurants and eateries, including the Parrot Tea Room and later the fine-dining restaurant Fourways. In the 1980s the building became the focus of controversy when its then-owner, Walter Sommer, planned to build a multistory apartment building on the property, which met with strong opposition from neighbors. After financial difficulties and a bankruptcy filing, the house was acquired by the Church of Scientology in 1994. Following extensive renovation, it was dedicated in 1995 as the Founding Church of Scientology.

Today the Fraser Mansion no longer serves as a house of worship, as the church moved into a neighboring building in 2009. Instead, the historic property now houses the organization's National Affairs Office. Visitors can admire the imposing building from the outside and get a sense of its architectural significance within the context of Washington's history. As part of the city's cultural heritage, it recalls the wealthy Fraser merchant family and the varied uses of the building over more than a century.