Evermay is a historic

Federal architecture Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...

-style house at 1623 28th Street,

Northwest, Washington, D.C. Northwest (NW or N.W.) is the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located north of the National Mall and west of North Capitol Street. It is the largest of the four quadrants of the city (NW, NE, S ...

, in the Georgetown neighborhood. The property originally extended south to Q Street, but the other houses were divided from the property.

History

In 1792-1794 Samuel Davidson bought a portion of the 795-acre tract called the "Rock of Dumbarton" from Thomas Beall. Davidson was one of the owners of the land on which the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

and the

National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...

are currently located. The house was built in 1801 at a cost of $2,302.82 with proceeds from the sale of the White House land to the

Federal government of the United States The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

. It was designed by British architect Nicholas King, the first surveyor of Washington, D.C. and founder of its first library. The house underwent interior renovations until 1818. Davidson was not married and had no children and upon his death, his nephew, Lewis Grant, inherited the property. Lewis Grant's daughter married Charles Dodge. In 1877, the Dodges sold the property to John D. McPherson. McPherson added a porch and converted the house to the

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

style.

Henry Hayes Lockwood Henry Hayes Lockwood (August 17, 1814 – December 7, 1899) was an American soldier and academic from Delaware who rose to the rank of Brigadier General during the American Civil War and captured the Delmarva Peninsula including Virginia's Eas ...

lived at the property and died there in 1899. In 1919, developer Francis H. Duehey bought the property and planned to demolish the house and build a hotel on the site. The citizens of Georgetown rallied to pass an ordinance forbidding construction taller than 40 feet. Diplomat

F. Lammot Belin Ferdinand "Mot" Lammot Belin (March 15, 1881 – July 6, 1961) was an American diplomat who served as Chief of Protocol of the United States and as the U.S. Ambassador to Poland in the early 1930s. Personal life Belin was married and he had at ...

and his wife bought the property in 1924. Belin came from a family of French immigrants who married into the

du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its fo ...

and made a fortune in the gunpowder industry. As part of extensive renovations and enlargements, he removed Victorian elements at the house to restore its Georgian simplicity. He owned the property until his death in 1961, when it was inherited by his son, Peter Belin. In 1961, Peter added the brick orangery on the east front. In 1973, Evermay was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. In 1996, the house was inherited by Peter's son, Harry Belin. In 1999, Harry formed the Evermay Society and began renting the estate for corporate events, weddings, anniversary parties, even fundraisers for President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

, all for tens of thousands of dollars apiece. He also let nonprofits such as

Bible study group The cell group is a form of church organization that is used in many Christian churches. Cell groups are generally intended to teach the Bible and personalize Christian fellowship. They are always used in cell churches, but also occur in parachu ...

s, local preservation groups, human rights advocates and environmentalists use Evermay for free. Harry was unable to afford the annual property taxes of $100,000 and annual upkeep costs of $200,000 and sold the house in May 2011 for $22 million to Dr. Sachiko Kuno and Dr. Ryuji Ueno, founders of

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rockville, Maryland that focused on gastroenterology, ophthalmology, and oncology-related disorders. In 2018, the company was acquired by Mallinckrodt. Sucampo had two m ...

. The couple also own

Halcyon House Halcyon House is a Federal-style home in Washington, D.C. Located in the heart of Georgetown, the house was built beginning in 1787 by the first Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert.Moeller, Gerard Martin and Weeks, Christopher. ''AIA Guide ...

, another historic Georgetown mansion. The houses are now used by their

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

References

{{Registered Historic Places Houses completed in 1801 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Federal architecture in Washington, D.C. Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Washington, D.C. Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)