Embassy Row is the informal name for a section of

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each s ...

Washington, D.C. with a high concentration of

embassies A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

s, and diplomatic residences. It spans Massachusetts Avenue N.W. between

18th 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect numb ...

and 35th street, bounded by Scott Circle to the south and the

United States Naval Observatory United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the Depo ...

to the north; the term is often applied to nearby streets and neighborhoods that also host diplomatic buildings, such as Kalorama. Of the roughly 175 diplomatic missions in the city, the majority are located on or near Embassy Row, including those of Italy, Australia, India, Greece, Egypt, Ireland, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Due to the large number of well-preserved

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Wes ...

estates and townhouses, many of which house diplomatic missions or dignitaries, Embassy Row has been protected as part of the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District. Its historic and multicultural character has also made the area a center of tourism and local cultural life.

History

Considered Washington's premier residential address in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Massachusetts Avenue became known for its numerous mansions housing the city's social and political elites. Consequently, the segment between Scott Circle and

Sheridan Circle Sheridan Circle is a traffic circle in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Embassy Row. A number of embassies ring Sheridan Circle, including the former Turkish chancery, and the Romanian embassy on the southern side, and the Embassy of Pakist ...

gained the nickname " Millionaires' Row". The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of 1929 led many to sell their homes; the often illustrious and expansive estates were well-suited for housing diplomatic missions as well as lodges of social clubs, giving Embassy Row its present name and identity. The relocation to Embassy Row of diplomatic representations, many of which had been established in Meridian Hill in previous decades, was further catalyzed by the construction of the

British Embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, excluding honorary consulates. The UK has one of the largest global networks of diplomatic missions. UK diplomatic missions to capitals of other Com ...

, commissioned in 1925 and completed in 1930, and the Japanese Embassy, built in 1931. The greatest number of embassies and chanceries moved to Embassy Row and the neighboring Kalorama neighborhood in the 1940s and early 1950s. On the southeastern section of the row, between Scott Circle and

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW t ...

, many individual houses and mansions were replaced by larger office or apartment buildings between the 1930s and the 1970s. More recently, several prominent

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-govern ...

s have clustered in that area, which has occasionally been referred to as Think Tank Row. Many of Embassy Row's diplomatic buildings open to the public once a year in May, an initiative nicknamed Passport DC. This event was started in 2007 by the embassies of member states of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

, and extended in 2008 to other countries around the world under coordination by

Cultural Tourism DC Cultural Tourism DC is an independent non-profit coalition of more than 230 culture, heritage, and community-based organizations in Washington, DC. Cultural Tourism DC and its members develop and present programs in Washington for area residents ...

. Within this program, the EU embassies still open on a separate day, labelled EU Open House. A separate program, the Embassy Series, started in 1994 and coordinates concerts organized in the embassy buildings. Embassy Row is protected as the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District, created in 1974 following controversy about the demolition of historic townhouses on 1722-28 Massachusetts Ave NW. Many of its notable buildings are listed in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites. Because few historic buildings remain on Scott Circle, the eastern boundary of the Historic District was set on 17th Street NW, but, since three embassies are located there and none farther east, Scott Circle is included in this article's definition of Embassy Row. The Western boundary used here is identical to that of the Historic District, namely Observatory Circle. However, some (e.g. real estate professionals) describe Embassy Row as extending as far west as Wisconsin Avenue NW.

From Scott Circle to Sheridan Circle

This section of Massachusetts Avenue was the one known as the "Millionaires' Row" of Washington, D.C. in the late 19th and early 20th century. North Side * 1499 Massachusetts Ave NW: Post Massachusetts Avenue apartment building (arch. Esocoff & Associates, 2002) * 1515 Massachusetts Ave NW:

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

building (arch. Faulkner, Fryer and Vanderpool, 1956), now Embassy of Tunisia * 1500 Rhode Island Ave NW:

Brodhead-Bell-Morton Mansion The Brodhead-Bell-Morton Mansion, also known as the Levi P. Morton House is a historic Beaux-Arts home, located at 1500 Rhode Island Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Logan Circle neighborhood. History It was built in 1879, to the ...

, now the Embassy of Hungary (arch. John Fraser, 1879; remodeled by

John Russell Pope John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 1935), the Jeff ...

, 1912) * 1 Scott Circle NW: General Scott Apartments (arch. Robert O. Sholz, 1942) * 1601 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of Australia (arch. Bates, Smart & McCutcheon, 1965) * 1617 Massachusetts Ave NW: Daniel C. Stapleton House (arch.

Clarke Waggaman Daniel Boone Clarke Waggaman (November 16, 1877 - October 3, 1919) was an architect, designer, and lawyer. He designed residences, apartments, commercial buildings, townhouses, and country estates throughout America, most notably the Washington, D ...

, 1917), now annex of the Embassy of the Philippines * 1619 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Forest Industries The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furn ...

building (arch. Keyes, Lesbridge & Condon, 1961), now Benjamin T. Rome Building of

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

* 1625 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Airline Pilots Association The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) is the largest pilot union in the world, representing more than 59,000 pilots from 35 U.S. and Canadian airlines. ALPA was founded on 27 July 1931 and is a member of the AFL-CIO and the Canadi ...

building (arch.

Vlastimil Koubek Vlastimil Koubek (March 17, 1927 – February 15, 2003) was a Czech American architect who designed more than 100 buildings, most of them in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. When he died, he had designed buildings worth more than $2 bill ...

, 1972), now also Washington campus of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School * 1701 Massachusetts Ave NW: The Bay State apartment building (arch. Robert O. Sholz, 1939) * 1711 Massachusetts Ave NW: Boston House apartment building (arch. Berla & Abel, 1950) * 1717 Massachusetts Ave NW: Bernstein- Offit building of

; the upper two floors used to host the embassy of the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

(arch. Cooper & Auerback, 1964) * 1727 Massachusetts Ave NW: The Winthrop apartment building (arch. Alvin L. Aubinoe, 1940) * 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...

main building (arch. Faulkner, Kingsbury & Stenhouse, 1960) * 1779 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded i ...

(arch. Smith, Hinchman & Gryll, 1989), also hosting the Embassy of Papua New Guinea * 1789 Massachusetts Ave NW (numbered 1785 until 2016): McCormick Apartments (arch.

Jules Henri de Sibour Jules Gabriel Henri de Sibour (December 23, 1872 – November 4, 1938) was a French architect who worked in Washington, DC. Early life He was born in Paris, France, to Vicomte Gabriel de Sibour and Mary Louisa Johnson of Belfast, Maine. He mov ...

, 1917), now

American Enterprise Institute The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, known simply as the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), is a center-right Washington, D.C.–based think tank that researches government, politics, economics, and social welfare. A ...

* 1801 Massachusetts Ave NW: Herbert Wadsworth House (arch. George Cary, 1902), now the

Sulgrave Club The Sulgrave Club is a private women's club located at 1801 Massachusetts Avenue NW on the east side of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. The clubhouse is the former Beaux-Arts mansion on Embassy Row built for Herbert and Martha Blow Wadsworth ...

* 15 Dupont Circle NW: Robert W. Patterson House (arch.

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in addition ...

, 1902), now Ampeer Dupont Circle apartments * 11 Dupont Circle NW: office building (1974), home of the

Peterson Institute for International Economics The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), known until 2006 as the Institute for International Economics (IIE), is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was founded by C. Fred Bergsten in 1981 and has been led b ...

until 2001 * 1500 New Hampshire Ave NW: Dupont Circle Hotel (1950) * 1501 Connecticut Ave NW: commercial building (1923), now

Starbucks Coffee Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 cou ...

* 1913 Massachusetts Ave NW: Dupont Circle Branch of the

Riggs National Bank Riggs National Bank is a historic former headquarters of Riggs Bank, located at 1503–1505 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the downtown Washington, D.C. neighborhood. It was designed by architects York and Sawyer in 1899, co ...

(arch. George Nicholas Ray, 1923), now PNC * 2001 Massachusetts Ave NW: apartment house (arch. Gertrude Sawyer, 1935), now Kossuth House of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America (1935) * 2007 Massachusetts Ave NW: Horace A. Taylor House (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1901) * 2009 Massachusetts Ave NW: Hershell Main House, later

Alice Roosevelt Longworth Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth (February 12, 1884 – February 20, 1980) was an American writer and socialite. She was the eldest child of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt and his only child with his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt. Lo ...

house (built 1881, front rebuilt 1910), now the

Washington Legal Foundation The Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) is a non-profit legal organization located at 2007-2009 Massachusetts Avenue NW, on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1977, the Foundation's stated goal is "to defend and promote the principles of f ...

* 2015 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy Row Hotel, rebranded ''The Ven Embassy Row'' in late 2020 (arch. Fischer and Elmore, 1971) * 2025 Massachusetts Ave NW: Samuel M. Bryan House (arch. W. Bruce Gray, 1885), now the Urban Alliance Foundation * 2027 Massachusetts Ave NW: House (1911), now the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism * 1600 21st Street NW: D. Clinch Phillips House (arch.

Hornblower & Marshall Hornblower & Marshall was a Washington, D.C.-based architectural firm that was a partnership between Joseph Coerten Hornblower (1848-1908) and James Rush Marshall (1851-1927). The firm designed numerous substantial government and other building ...

, 1897), now the Phillips Collection * 2107 Massachusetts Ave NW: T. Morris Murray House (1901), now Embassy of India * 2121 Massachusetts Ave NW: Richard T. Townsend House (arch.

Carrère and Hastings Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture firms. Located in New York City ...

, 1901), now the

Cosmos Club The Cosmos Club is a 501(c)(7) private social club in Washington, D.C. that was founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878 as a gentlemen's club for those interested in science. Among its stated goals is, "The advancement of its members in science, ...

* 2131 Massachusetts Ave NW: George W. Barrie House (arch. Marsh & Peter, 1905), now Embassy of Estonia * 2201 Massachusetts Ave NW: Frederick A. Miller House (arch.

Paul J. Pelz Paul Johannes Pelz (18 November 1841 – 30 March 1918) was a German-American architect, best known as the main architect of the Library of Congress in Washington DC. Life and career Paul J. Pelz was born November 18, 1841, in Seitendorf (now ...

, 1901) * 2203 Massachusetts Ave NW: Emeline D. Lovett House (arch. Alexander Millar, 1890) * 2205 Massachusetts Ave NW: Anna Jenness-Miller House (arch. Waddy Wood, 1920), now the

National Society Daughters of the American Colonists The National Society Daughters of the American Colonists (NSDAC) is an organization of female descendants of American colonials. Its mission is education on the Colonial history of the United States. Membership Membership in NSDAC is open to fe ...

* 2207 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (arch. Louis D. Meline, 1902), now Embassy of Turkmenistan * 2209 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (arch. Wyeth & Cresson, 1911), now Embassy of Paraguay * 2211 Massachusetts Ave NW: Irene Rucker Sheridan House (arch. Wood, Dunn & Deming, 1904) * 2217 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of Greece (arch. Angelos Demetriou, 2006) * 2221 Massachusetts Ave NW: Hennen Jennings House (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1906), now residence of the Ambassador of Greece South Side * 1500 Massachusetts Ave NW: 1500 Massachusetts apartment building (1952) * 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW:

Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. CSIS was founded as the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University in 1962. The center conducts policy ...

(arch. Hickok Cole, 2013) * 1600 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of the Philippines (1993) * 1700 Massachusetts Ave NW: Emily J. Wilkins House (arch.

, 1909), now Embassy of Peru * 1708 Massachusetts Ave NW: Henry C. Nevins House (arch. Harvey L. Page, 1891), now Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago * 1720 Massachusetts Ave NW: town house, now

Stephanie Tubbs Jones Stephanie Tubbs Jones (September 10, 1949 – August 20, 2008)Congressional Black Caucus Foundation The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) is an American educational foundation. It conducts research on issues affecting African Americans, publishes a yearly report on key legislation, and sponsors issue forums, leadership seminars and ...

* 1724 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of Colombia (1981) * 1732 Massachusetts Ave NW: J.C. McGuire House (arch. Glenn Brown, 1889), now Embassy of Chile * 1736 Massachusetts Ave NW: now Consular section of the Embassy of Chile * 1740 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a graduate school of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., United States, with campuses in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China. It is consistently ranked one of th ...

(1962) * 1746 Massachusetts Ave NW: Clarence Moore House (arch.

, 1909), now Embassy of Uzbekistan * 1750 Massachusetts Ave NW:

(arch. James von Klemperer for

Kohn Pedersen Fox Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) is an American architecture firm that provides architecture, interior, programming and master planning services for clients in both the public and private sectors. KPF is one of the largest architecture firms in ...

, 2001) * 1776 Massachusetts Ave NW: office building (1969) * 1780 Massachusetts Ave NW: Ingalls House (arch.

, 1912), now office of the President of the

* 1800 Massachusetts Ave NW: office building (1979), now the

Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of members ...

* 1369 Connecticut Ave NW: U.S. Trust Company building (arch.

, 1912), now

SunTrust SunTrust Banks, Inc. was an American bank holding company with SunTrust Bank as its largest subsidiary and assets of US$199 billion as of March 31, 2018. The bank's most direct corporate parent was established in 1891 in Atlanta, where it was h ...

branch * 1350 Connecticut Ave NW:

Dupont Circle Building The Dupont Circle Building is a landmark art deco building on the south end of Dupont Circle in Washington DC. The entrance is on 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW. It was designed by architect Mihran Mesrobian, originally as an apartment building. I ...

(arch.

Mihran Mesrobian Mihran Mesrobian ( hy, Միհրան Մեսրոպեան; 10 May 1889 – 21 September 1975) was an Armenian-American architect whose career spanned over fifty years and in several countries. Having received an education in the Mimar Sinan Fine Art ...

, 1931) * 21 Dupont Circle NW: Euram Building (arch. Hartman-Cox, 1972) * 1 Dupont Circle NW: office building (arch.

, 1968), now the

American Council on Education The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,700 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher educatio ...

* 2000 P Street NW: The Toronto apartment building (arch. Albert H. Beers, 1908) * 2000 Massachusetts Ave NW: James G. Blaine Mansion (arch. George Fraser, 1881), now Phillips & Cohen LLP * 2012 Massachusetts Ave NW: Joseph Beale House (arch. Glenn Brown, 1897), now Embassy of Portugal * 2020 Massachusetts Ave NW: Walsh-McLean House (arch. Henry Andersen, 1903), now Embassy of Indonesia * 2100 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Fairfax Hotel The Fairfax at Embassy Row was a historic luxury hotel located at 2100 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It opened in 1927 and closed permanently in 2021. The Fairfax is designated as a contributing property to th ...

(arch. B. Stanley Simmons, 1927) * 2118 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Larz Anderson House Anderson House, also known as Larz Anderson House, is a Gilded Age mansion located at 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, on Embassy Row in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It now houses the Society of the Cincinnati's internation ...

(arch. Arthur Little & Herbert W. C. Browne, 1905), now

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

* 2122 Massachusetts Ave NW: State House apartment building (arch. Matthew G. Lepley, 1951) * 2200 Massachusetts Ave NW: Alexander Stewart House (arch.

, 1909), now Embassy of Luxembourg * 2202 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (1914), now office of the

Defense Attaché Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

of the Embassy of Turkey * 2208 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (arch. Louis D. Meline, 1900), now Embassy of Togo * 2210 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (arch. Louis D. Meline, 1901), now Embassy of Sudan * 2212 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (arch. Louis D. Meline, 1898) * 2214-16 Massachusetts Ave NW: twin townhouses (arch. George Nicholas Ray, 1931) * 2220 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (arch. George Nicholas Ray, 1914), now Embassy of the Bahamas * 2228 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr. & Laussat Roger, 1903), now office of the Defense and Military Attaché of the Embassy of Greece * 2230 Massachusetts Ave NW: James C. Hooe House (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1907) * 2232 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (1900), now Economic and Commercial Bureau of the Embassy of Egypt * 2234 Massachusetts Ave NW: Henrietta M. Halliday House (arch.

William Penn Cresson William Penn Cresson (September 17, 1873 – May 12, 1932) was an American architect, author, diplomat, and husband of sculptor Margaret French Cresson (1889–1973). Education Born in Claymont, Delaware, Cresson studied at the University of P ...

), 1908), now

Embassy of Ireland Ireland has diplomatic relations with 161 other governments. Ireland has numerous embassies and consulates abroad. Honorary consulates and the overseas offices of Irish state agencies, namely Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and Touri ...

* 1607 23rd St NW: Frank Ellis House (arch.

, 1907), now Embassy of Romania

From Sheridan Circle to Observatory Circle

North Side * 2223 Massachusetts Ave NW:

American Society of International Law The American Society of International Law (ASIL), founded in 1906, was chartered by the United States Congress in 1950 to foster the study of international law, and to promote the establishment and maintenance of international relations on the ba ...

(arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1907) * 2249 R St NW: C. Peyton Russell House (arch.

Nathan C. Wyeth Nathan Corwith Wyeth (April 20, 1870 – August 30, 1963) was an American architect. He is best known for designing the West Wing of the White House, creating the first Oval Office. He designed a large number of structures in Washington, D.C., ...

, 1908), now Embassy of Kenya * 2251 R St NW: Frederick A. Keep House (arch.

, 1906), now residence of the Ambassador of Vietnam * 2253 R St NW: Charles L. Fitzhugh House (arch. Waddy Wood, 1904), now residence of the Ambassador of the Philippines * 2301 Massachusetts Ave NW: Joseph Beale House (arch. Glenn Brown, 1909), now residence of the Ambassador of Egypt * 2305 Massachusetts Ave NW: Sarah S. Wyeth House (arch.

, 1909), now residence of the Ambassador of Chile * 2311 Massachusetts Ave NW: Gibson Fahnestock House (arch.

, 1910), embassy of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

from 1952 to 1978, now Embassy of Haiti * 2315 Massachusetts Ave NW: Francis B. Moran House (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1909), formerly embassy of Persia/

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

(1935–43) then embassy of Pakistan (1951–2011) * 2339 Massachusetts Ave NW: Wendell Mansions apartment building (arch. Edward H. Glidden Jr., 1906) * 2343 Massachusetts Ave NW: Former chancery of the embassy of Austria (arch. George Nicholas Ray, 1930), now Embassy of Croatia * 2349 Massachusetts Ave NW: Christian Hauge House (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1906), later embassy of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

(1929–72) and now Embassy of Cameroon * 2347 S Street NW: Owsley House (arch. Ward Brown, 1929), now residence of the Ambassador of the Netherlands * 2401 Massachusetts Ave NW: Former chancery of the Embassy of Malaysia (1969), now Embassy of Chad * 2419 Massachusetts Ave NW: Louis Arthur Coolidge House (arch.

, 1906), now Embassy of Zambia * 2433 Massachusetts Ave NW: Harry Wardman House (arch.

, 1934), now Embassy of the Marshall Islands * 2443 Massachusetts Ave NW: Residence of the Ambassador of Venezuela (arch. Chester A. Patterson, 1939) * 2501 Massachusetts Ave NW: C.H. Harlow House (arch. Waddy Wood, 1916), later home of

Robert A. Taft Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. (September 8, 1889 – July 31, 1953) was an American politician, lawyer, and scion of the Republican Party's Taft family. Taft represented Ohio in the United States Senate, briefly served as Senate Majority Leade ...

* 2511 Massachusetts Ave NW: house (1942), now Embassy of Lesotho * 2525 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of Turkey (arch.

Shalom Baranes Associates Shalom Baranes Associates, PC is an architectural design firm located in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was founded by architect Shalom Baranes in 1981, and as of 2014 had more than 140 architect principals and associates. In 2013, it ...

, 1999) * 2535 Massachusetts Ave NW: house (1953), now Embassy of Belize * 2551 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Islamic Center of Washington The Islamic Center of Washington is a mosque and Islamic cultural center in Washington, D.C. It is located on Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue just east of the bridge over Rock Creek. When it opened in 1957, it was the largest mosque in the W ...

(arch. Mario Rossi in association with Irwin S. Porter & Sons, 1957) * 2929 Massachusetts Ave NW: Maie H. Williams House (arch.

, 1918) * 3003 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Alanson B. Houghton Alanson Bigelow Houghton (October 10, 1863 – September 15, 1941) was an American businessman, politician, and diplomat who served as a Congressman and Ambassador. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early life and business career Ala ...

House (arch. Frederick H. Brooke, 1935), former residence of the Ambassador of Iran * 3005 Massachusetts Ave NW: former Embassy of Iran (1959) * 3051 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of South Africa (1936, expanded 1964) * 3301 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of Finland (arch.

Mikko Heikkinen Mikko is a Finnish masculine given name and equivalent of the English name Michael, having been borrowed into the Finnish language. The given name Mikko is shared by the following notable people: * Mikko Alatalo, Finnish musician and politician * ...

and

Markku Komonen Markku is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Markku Alén (born 1951), Finnish former rally and race car driver * Markku Aro (born 1950), Finnish singer who performed on Eurovision contest in 1971 * Markku Huhtamo (born 1946), Fi ...

, 1994) * 3339 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of the Holy See (arch. Frederick V. Murphy, 1938) * 3401 Massachusetts Ave NW: Residence of the Ambassador of Norway (arch. John J. Whelan, 1931) * 3415 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Joseph W. Babcock Joseph Weeks Babcock (March 6, 1850 – April 27, 1909) was a seven-term Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin. Born in Swanton, Vermont. Babcock was the grandson of Joseph Weeks, a Congressman from Ver ...

House (arch. Arthur B. Heaton, 1912), now Embassy of Cape Verde and Embassy of Timor-Leste * 3417 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Soka Gakkai International Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is an international Nichiren Buddhist organisation founded in 1975 by Daisaku Ikeda, as an umbrella organization of Soka Gakkai, which declares approximately 12 million adherents in 192 countries and territorie ...

-USA Buddhist Center (arch. William Hellmuth, 2008) * 3421 Massachusetts Ave NW: house (1927), now Embassy of Iraq South Side * 1606 23rd St NW: Edward H. Everett House (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1914), now residence of the Ambassador of Turkey * 2304 Massachusetts Ave NW: house (arch. Louis D. Meline, 1901), now part of the Embassy of Latvia * 2306 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Alice Pike Barney Alice Pike Barney (born Alice Pike; 1857–1931) was an American painter. She was active in Washington, D.C. and worked to make Washington into a center of the arts. Her two daughters were the writer and salon hostess Natalie Clifford Barney and ...

House (arch. Waddy Wood, 1902), now Embassy of Latvia * 2320 Massachusetts Ave NW: detached house (arch.

Frank Russell White Frank Russell White (May 2, 1889 – October 24, 1961) was an American architect who designed hotels, apartment buildings, commercial properties, and thousands of homes in Washington, D.C. A native of Brooklyn, White's family moved to the n ...

, 1918), now Consular section of the Embassy of South Korea * 2324 Massachusetts Ave NW: town house (arch. Louis D. Meline, 1902), now annex of the Embassy of Greece * 2328 Massachusetts Ave NW: town house (arch.

Donn In Irish mythology, Donn ("the dark one", from cel-x-proto, Dhuosnos) is an ancestor of the Gaels and is believed to have been a god of the dead. Donn is said to dwell in Tech Duinn (the "house of Donn" or "house of the dark one"), where the ...

and Deming, 1922) * 2332-38 Massachusetts Ave NW: row of four townhouses (arch. Nicholas T. Haller, 1899) * 2340 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (1914), now Embassy of Burkina Faso * 2344 Massachusetts Ave NW:

George Wallace William Hanger George Wallace William Hanger (March 28, 1866 – December 26, 1935) was a mediator for the Federal Board of Mediation and Conciliation and held other positions for government agencies involved in the resolution of labor disputes. Biography H ...

House (arch. William James Palmer, 1907) * 2346 Massachusetts Ave NW:

George Cabot Lodge George Cabot "Bay" Lodge (October 10, 1873 – August 21, 1909) was an American poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early life Lodge was born in Boston on October 10, 1873, and grew up at his parents' home in Nahant, Massachusett ...

House (arch. Wood, Dunn & Deming, 1905) * 2360 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (arch. William James Palmer, 1911), now Embassy of Kyrgyzstan * 2370 Massachusetts Ave NW: Alice W.B. Stanley House (arch. Smith & Edwards, 1930), now Korean Cultural Center * 2374 Massachusetts Ave NW: townhouse (1921), now Embassy of Madagascar * 2406 Massachusetts Ave NW: Nellie and Isabelle Sedgeley House (arch.

, 1911), now Cultural Office of the Embassy of the UAE * 2408 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Granville Roland Fortescue Granville Roland Fortescue (October 12, 1875 – April 21, 1952) was an American soldier, a Rough Rider serving with his cousin, Colonel Theodore Roosevelt in Cuba, a presidential aide in the first Roosevelt administration and later, a journalist ...

House (arch.

, 1911), now Embassy of Malawi * 2412: Frederick Atherton House (arch.

and Francis P. Sullivan, 1930) * 2424 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of Cote d'Ivoire (arch. Wanchul Lee, 2004) * 2432 Massachusetts Ave NW: house (1951), now residence of the Ambassador of Algeria * 2440 Massachusetts Ave NW: Charles Mason Remey House (arch. Smith & Edwards, c. 1930), now Permanent mission of Mexico to the OAS * 2450 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of South Korea (arch.

Horace W. Peaslee Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his '' ...

, 1953) * 2500 Massachusetts Ave NW: apartment house (arch. Louis E. Sholtes, 1922) * 2516 Massachusetts Ave NW: Old Ambassador's Residence of the Embassy of Japan (arch.

Delano Delano or DeLano may refer to: Places in the United States * Delano, California * Delano, Wichita, Kansas, a neighborhood in Wichita and former community before merging with Wichita * Delano, Minnesota * Delano, Nevada * Delano, Pennsylvania * De ...

& Aldrich, 1931) * 2520 Massachusetts Ave NW: Chancery of the Embassy of Japan (arch. Robert B. Anderson, 1986) * 2536 Massachusetts Ave NW: Chancery Annex of the Embassy of India (1954) * 2540 Massachusetts Ave NW: The Army and Navy apartment house (arch. Harry L. Edwards, 1925) * 2558 Massachusetts Ave NW: Spanish Mission to the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 Apri ...

(1926) * 3000 Whitehaven St NW: Embassy of Italy (arch. Piero Sartogo, 2000) * 3025 Whitehaven St NW: Embassy of Sri Lanka * 3200 Whitehaven St NW: Embassy of Denmark (1960) * 3000 Massachusetts Ave NW: Robert S. McCormick House (arch.

, 1928), now residence of the Ambassador of Brazil * 3006 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of Brazil (arch. Olavo Redig de Campos, 1971) * 3014 Massachusetts Ave NW: house (1941), now Embassy of Bolivia * 3100 Massachusetts Ave NW: Embassy of the United Kingdom (arch.

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memor ...

, 1931); chancery building (arch. Eric Bedford) added in the late 1950s. * 3450 Massachusetts Ave NW:

Statuary

The monumental setting of the Row has favored the erection of many memorials and statues. They are erected either on private grounds, many of them by the embassies to showcase a prominent national figure, or on public (federal) land following an

Act of Congress An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called private laws), or to the general public ( public laws). For a bill to become an act, the text must pass through both house ...

, including the successive Circles and several triangular parks created by the intersections between the diagonal avenue and the

L'Enfant Plan The L'Enfant Plan for the city of Washington is the urban plan developed in 1791 by Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant for George Washington, the first president of the United States. History L'Enfant was a French engineer who served in ...

grid. A special case is the statue of Winston Churchill, which has one foot on the grounds of the

and the other on federal land to symbolize the UK-US alliance. *

Samuel Hahnemann Monument The Samuel Hahnemann Monument, also known as ''Dr. Samuel Hahnemann'', is a public artwork dedicated to Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy. It is located on the east side of Scott Circle, a traffic circle in the northwest quadrant of Wa ...

on the eastern side of Scott Circle, by

Charles Henry Niehaus Charles Henry Niehaus (January 24, 1855 — June 19, 1935), was an American sculptor. Education Niehaus was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to German parents. He began working as a marble and wood carver, and then gained entrance to the McMick ...

(1900) *

Equestrian statue of Winfield Scott ''Brevet Lt. General Winfield Scott'' is an equestrian statue in Washington, D.C., that honors career military officer Winfield Scott. The monument stands in the center of Scott Circle, a traffic circle and small park at the convergence of 1 ...

, by

Henry Kirke Brown Henry Kirke Brown (February 24, 1814 in Leyden, Massachusetts – July 10, 1886 in Newburgh, New York) was an American sculptor. Life He began to paint portraits while still a boy, studied painting in Boston under Chester Harding, learned a lit ...

(1874) * the

Daniel Webster Memorial The Daniel Webster Memorial is a monument in Washington, D.C. honoring U.S. statesman Daniel Webster. It is located near Webster's former home at 1603 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, beside Scott Circle at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue ...

, by

Gaetano Trentanove Gaetano Trentanove (February 21, 1858 – March 13, 1937) was an Italian and American sculptor. Biography Trentanove was born in Florence, Italy, a goldsmith's son. He studied at the Florentine Academy; he was later named honorary scholar of ...

(1900) * a modern bust of

Miguel Grau Miguel María Grau Seminario (27 July 1834 – 8 October 1879) was the most renowned Peruvian naval officer and hero of the naval battle of Angamos during the War of the Pacific (1879–1884). He was known as ''el Caballero de los Mares'' (Spa ...

in front of the Embassy of Peru (2011) * a bust of Bernardo O'Higgins by

Galvarino Ponce Morel Galvarino (died c. November 30, 1557) was a famous Mapuche warrior during the majority of the early part of the Arauco War. He fought and was taken prisoner along with one hundred and fifty other Mapuche, in the Battle of Lagunillas against gove ...

, in front of the Embassy of Chile (2009) * the

Dupont Circle Fountain The Dupont Circle Fountain, formally known as the Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Dupont Memorial Fountain, is a fountain located in the center of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. It honors Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, a prominent American ...

, by

Daniel Chester French Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his 1874 sculpture '' The Minute Man'' in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monum ...

(1920) * a statue of Hindu goddess

Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...

by a

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and ...

nese sculpting team, on the grounds of the Indonesian Embassy, with a group of three children including a young

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

in front (2013) * the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial by Gautam Pal, in front of the Indian Embassy (2000) * a bronze cast of George Washington by Jean-Antoine Houdon, in front of the

(2008). (This statue was moved away in June 2020.) * the statue of Tomas Masaryk, by

Vincenc Makovský Vincenc Makovský (3 June 1900 – 28 December 1966) was an avant-garde Czech sculptor and industrial designer. He was born in Nové Město na Moravě and died in Brno. He was a founding member of the Prague surrealist group, but was not active ...

(1937, cast 1968, erected 2002) * a copy in reduced size of the 1969 bronze statue of

Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberation move ...

by Yannis Pappas, now in Freedom Park in Athens, erected in front of the Greek Embassy (2009) * the statue of

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...

by Jeffery L. Hall, in front of the Turkish Ambassador's residence (2013) *

Equestrian statue of Philip Sheridan ''General Philip Sheridan'' is a bronze sculpture that honors Civil War general Philip Sheridan. The monument was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum, best known for his design of Mount Rushmore. Dedicated in 1908, dignitaries in attendance at the unvei ...

, by

Gutzon Borglum John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Georg ...

(1908) * the statue of Philip Jaisohn in front of the South Korean Consular Section, by Jae-kil Lee (2008) * a bust of

Orlando Letelier Marcos Orlando Letelier del Solar (13 April 1932 – 21 September 1976) was a Chilean economist, politician and diplomat during the presidency of Salvador Allende. A refugee from the Military government of Chile (1973–1990), military dictato ...

commemorating his

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

, by Barry Woods Johnston, in front of the residence of the Ambassador of Chile (2018) * the statue of St Jerome by

Ivan Meštrović Ivan Meštrović (; 15 August 1883 – 16 January 1962) was a Croatian sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pavle Bilinić's ...

, in front of the Croatian Embassy (1954, relocated c. 1998) * a cast of Allow Me by Seward Johnson, in front of the house on 2346 Massachusetts Ave NW (1984) * the statue of Robert Emmet, by

Jerome Connor Jerome Connor (23 February 1874 in Coumduff, Annascaul, County Kerry – 21 August 1943 in Dublin) was an Irish sculptor. Life In 1888, he emigrated to Holyoke, Massachusetts. His father was a stonemason, which led to Connor's jobs in New York ...

(1916, relocated 1966) * an abstract sculpture by Dong-koo Yun in front of the Korean Embassy (2000) * another statue of

, this one cast in

fiberglass Fiberglass ( American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...

by Ragıp Çiçen, donated by

İbrahim Fırtına Halil Ibrahim Fırtına (born 1941 in Ordu, Turkey) is a retired Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force ( tr, ) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Turkish Air Force can trace its origins back to June 19 ...

and standing inside the Turkish Embassy (2004) * the statue of Winston Churchill by William McVey, in front of the

(1966) * the statue of

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

by Jean Doyle, in front of the South African Embassy (2013) * the monument to Khalil Gibran, by Gordon S. Kray (1991) * the statue of Crown Princess Martha Louise of Norway by Kirsten Kokkin, in front of the

Norwegian Embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of Norway, excluding honorary consulates. In countries without Norwegian representation, Norwegian citizens can seek assistance from public officials in the foreign services of any of the other Nordic countr ...

(2005)

Other embassies in Washington, D.C.

In the immediate vicinity of Embassy Row, many other embassies and diplomatic residences are located within one or two blocks of Massachusetts Avenue on cross streets, particularly R, S, and 22nd Streets NW near Sheridan Circle, and in the Kalorama neighborhood north of Embassy Row. The section of

New Hampshire Avenue New Hampshire Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C., beginning at the Kennedy Center and extending northeast for about 5 miles (8 km) and then continuing into Maryland where it is designated Maryland Route 650. New Hampshire Avenue ...

NW north of

alone is home to the embassies of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...

, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopi ...

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pet ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, Embassy of Namibia in Washington, D.C.,

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the coun ...

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

, and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

. In the early days of Washington, D.C., most diplomats and ambassadors lived on or around Lafayette Square. The first purpose-designed embassy building in Washington was the embassy of the United Kingdom on 1300

Connecticut Avenue Connecticut Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., and suburban Montgomery County, Maryland. It is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House, and the segment south of Florida Avenue was on ...

, immediately south of Embassy Row, built in 1872 by Sir Edward Thornton on John Fraser's design, and demolished in 1931. Thornton's choice of location, at a time when

was still almost entirely undeveloped, may be considered the origin of Embassy Row as a diplomatic neighborhood. In the first three decades of the 20th century, several European legations gathered farther northeast, on a section of 16th Street near Meridian Hill Park. This area was specifically developed by local resident Mary Foote Henderson to attract embassies, and she even aimed at having the residences of the U.S. president and vice-president relocated there. However, the neighborhood was hit hard by the

, and Embassy Row became a comparatively more attractive location for diplomats in the following decade. Former embassy buildings in the Meridian Hill area include those of France (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1907, now the Council for Professional Recognition); Mexico (arch.

, 1911, now the Mexican Cultural Institute); the Netherlands (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1922, now the Embassy of Ecuador); Spain (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1923 and addition by

, 1927; now the Spain-USA Foundation); Egypt (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1924, now Meridian Hall); Italy (arch.

Warren and Wetmore Warren and Wetmore was an architecture firm in New York City which was a partnership between Whitney Warren (1864–1943) and Charles Delevan Wetmore (June 10, 1866 – May 8, 1941), that had one of the most extensive practices of its time and w ...

, 1925, currently under redevelopment); and Brazil (arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1927, later embassy of Hungary and now the Josephine Butler Parks Center). The embassies of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

(arch. Macneil & Macneil, 1918),

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

(arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1909), and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

(arch. George Oakley Totten, Jr., 1910) are still located in the Meridian Hill neighborhood. A bit further up 16th Street, the Embassy Building No. 10, built in the late 1920s, never actually served as an embassy despite being designed as one. A high-security enclave in Van Ness, one mile north of the Naval Observatory on the federally owned former grounds of the

National Bureau of Standards The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...

Cleveland Park Cleveland Park is a residential neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is located at and bounded approximately by Rock Creek Park to the east, Wisconsin and Idaho Avenues to the west, Klingle and Woodley Roads to the so ...

, was developed from 1968 as the International Chancery Center. It is home to the embassies of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and a ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

, and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...

. A number of other embassies are scattered south of Massachusetts Avenue and closer to the

National Mall The National Mall is a landscaped park near the downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institution, art galleries, cultural institutions, and va ...

, notably those of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

, and the

. Still others are located in or around Georgetown, such as those of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. The Caribbean Chancery on 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW hosts the embassies of four English-speaking Caribbean nations.

References

External links

United States Department of the Treasury: List of addresses of foreign embassies and consulates in the U.S.
— ''maintained for the International Trade Data System initiative''. {{Streets in Washington, DC Diplomatic districts *Embassy Row Neighborhoods in Northwest (Washington, D.C.)

History

From Scott Circle to Sheridan Circle

From Sheridan Circle to Observatory Circle

Statuary

Other embassies in Washington, D.C.

See also

References

External links