Tingey House, officially known as Quarters A, is the

official residence An official residence is the residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-related functions. ...

of the Chief of Naval Operations of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. Built in 1804, it is located at the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and Weapon, ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serv ...

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, ...

, and is part of the Yard's historic Officers Quarters. The residence is known as Tingey House in honor of its first resident, former U.S. Navy officer

Thomas Tingey Thomas Tingey (11 September 1750 – 23 February 1829) was a commodore of the United States Navy. Originally serving in the British Royal Navy, Tingey later served in the Continental Navy. Tingey served with distinction during the Quasi-War and ...

. According to popular legend, Tingey's ghost haunts the property.

Location

Tingey House is located on the grounds of the

and adjoins Leutze Park, the yard's parade ground. It is part of "Admirals' Row" ( Officers Quarters), a group of historic homes that serve as official residences for senior Navy officers and their families.Washington Navy Yard, Washington DC
Superfund Program,

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

. The House is also called the Commandant's QuartersNational Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Washington Navy Yard

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

. or Commandant's House. Tingey36sdf

Tingey House lies immediately east of the

Latrobe Gate The Latrobe Gate (also known as Main Gate, Washington Navy Yard) is a historic gatehouse located at the Washington Navy Yard in Southeast Washington, D.C. Built in 1806 and substantially altered in 1881, the ceremonial entrance to the U.S. Navy's ...

(also called the "Main Gate").

Layout

Tingey House is a two-and-a-half-story structure with a gable roof. According to a 1970s-era

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 ...

nomination form, the first floor contains a dining room, library, kitchen, and two parlors; the second floor contains four bedrooms, and the attic contains two chambers. There is a

porte-cochère A porte-cochère (; , late 17th century, literally 'coach gateway'; plural: porte-cochères, portes-cochères) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like ...

and enclosed porch on the south and east sides of the House.

History

Early history

In 1801,

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

Robert Smith ordered the construction of "a house to accommodate the officer of Marines and the Superintendent of the Navy Yard." The resulting building was designed by William Lovering and completed in 1804. The

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

-style property was named after its first resident, Thomas Tingey, the superintendent of the Washington Navy Yard. As the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

advanced on Washington during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, the property survived Tingey's orders to burn the Washington Navy Yard. However, following the British withdrawal from Washington and before Tingey could reoccupy the home, it was looted by area residents. A memorial plaque to Tingey is fixed to the side of the house: TingeyPAKWA324

Modern era

Tingey House was used by different naval officers until 1977, when

One Observatory Circle Number One Observatory Circle is the official residence of the vice president of the United States. Located on the northeast grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., the house was built in 1893 for the observatory superintenden ...

, formerly the home of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), was reassigned for use by the

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

. The CNO's new official residence became Tingey House. In June 2008, Tingey House completed a significant renovation, which included the addition of an expanded

kitchen A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running wate ...

and china closet, construction of a larger staff wing, rehabilitation of the home's greenhouse, and the remodeling of several bathrooms. TingeyInterior

The Washington Navy Yard is listed as a Superfund site, and the "Admirals' Row" group of homes suffer from nearby lead-contaminated soil, thought to be caused by

lead-based paint Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead. As pigment, lead(II) chromate (, "chrome yellow"), lead(II,IV) oxide, (, "red lead"), and lead(II) carbonate (, "white lead") are the most common forms.. Lead is added to paint to acceler ...

, lead roofing, and lead

water main A water distribution system is a part of water supply network with components that carry potable water from a centralized treatment plant or wells to consumers to satisfy residential, commercial, industrial and fire fighting requirements. Definit ...

Haunting

According to popular legend, the ghost of Thomas Tingey occupies Tingey House. The first reported sighting of Tingey's ghost was in 1853, by the daughter of the Navy Yard's then-commandant. In August 1960, Rear Admiral Thomas Robbins reported that his pet dog, Lucky, barked madly at an empty chair in the home's

drawing room A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained, and an alternative name for a living room. The name is derived from the 16th-century terms withdrawing room and withdrawing chamber, which remained in use through the 17th cent ...

until Robbins recited the

incantation An incantation, a spell, a charm, an enchantment or a bewitchery, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremo ...

, "Good evening, commodore, we're glad to be living in your house," after which the dog behaved normally.

Notes

References

External links

{{US Navy navbox, state=collapsed Buildings of the United States government in Washington, D.C. Official residences in the United States Reportedly haunted locations in Washington, D.C. United States Navy Houses completed in 1904 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.