1222 28th Street NW is a building in the historic Georgetown neighborhood of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

It is believed to be one of the oldest homes in Georgetown, dating to the 18th century, although a

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

, published in the 1960s, claimed the cottage dates to the mid-19th century. A third source, published in 1970, says the property dates to the late 18th century. It has one bedroom in its floor area of 1,015 square feet.

History

The house is believed to have been built in the 1700s by a British

sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficie ...

, with its hand-hewn ceiling beams possibly being from a ship that had run aground. The year 1721 is carved into one of the interior beams. As of 2016, several of the building's original features were still intact, including the Belgian tiles in front of the

hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a lo ...

, wood paneling and flooring, and handmade glass in its windows. The cottage was the home of

Ann Caracristi Ann Zeilinger Caracristi (February 1, 1921 – January 10, 2016) was an American cryptanalyst, former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency, where she served at various positions over a 40-year career. She served as a member of the Sec ...

, former deputy director of the

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...

,''Ann's War: One Woman's Journey to the Codebreaking Victory over Japan''
–

, Special Series, Volume 13, 2019, p. 22 for 65 years, until her death in January 2016."Little red cottage is a cozy secret tucked away in Georgetown"
– ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', February 26, 2016 Caracristi had built a kitchen at the rear of the house in 1985, at the same time turning the original kitchen into a laundry and powder room. The relatives of Caracristi put the property (including many of its furnishings) on the market after her death. Its listing price was $865,000. It sold on March 25, 2016, for $825,000. ''

'' featured the property as its "House of the Week" on February 26, 2016.

References

External links

* {{Georgetown, Washington, D.C. 28 Street NW 1222