| The French Ambassador's residence | |
| Nrhp Type: | cp |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Partof: | Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District |
| Partof Refnum: | 89001743 |
| Coordinates: | 38.9182°N -77.0507°W |
| Built: | 1910 |
| Added: | 1989 |
The French ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. is located at 2221 Kalorama Road, N.W., in the Kalorama neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C.[1] [2]
The residence, built in 1910, was designed by the French-born American architect Jules Henri de Sibour for William Watson Lawrence (1859-1916),[3] a paint and white lead manufacturer.[2] It was later the home of the mining millionaire John Hays Hammond.[4] [5] The mansion was purchased by the French government in 1936,[2] and served as the French chancery (embassy building) until 1985, when the current chancery in northwest Washington was completed on Reservoir Road.[6] The completion of the Reservoir Road embassy allowed the 400 employees of the French diplomatic mission at the time to work in a single location, rather than at the ten different offices scattered around Washington, where French diplomats had previously worked.[7]
In 1941, the French government purchased additional lots of land overlooking Kalorama Circle,[1] bringing the total size of the property to .[1] [2] In 2017, however, the French government sold an empty tract of of the property.[1] The sale brought the total size of the property to about, which is still the largest tract of land in Kalorama.[1]
In February 2015, the manor house reopened after undergoing a $4.5 million, two-year renovation and restoration.[2] During the renovation, Ambassador Gérard Araud, lived in a house in Foxhall Road.[8]
On Bastille Day 2021, a replica of the Statue of Liberty that used to reside at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris was installed and dedicated on the grounds of the residence. [9]
It is the largest single-family home in the Kalorama neighborhood;[10] a 1980 guidebook published by Smithsonian Institution Press describes the home's setting as "a dramatic and beautiful site high above Rock Creek."[11] Constructed of brick and limestone, the mansion house is described in National Register of Historic Places papers as an "imposing structure" with irregular massing, with its most prominent feature being a "dominant entry bay with large gables is anchored by two flanking square towers, each capped by a stone balustrade."[10] Its architectural style has been variously described as Tudor Revival[2] Jacobean Revival,[6] and French Eclectic.[10] In 2015, the estimated value of the property was $25 - 30 million.[8] The home is in size and has 19 bedrooms.[8]
Known for its elegant parties,[8] the home features art and decoration in both formal/traditional styles and modern styles.[2] The main floor features several large reception rooms,[2] [8] including a dining room, an Empire Salon in the formal style, a "Winter Salon" in the modern style, and the Salon des Boiseries (paneled room) and, to the rear of the building, a terrace.[2] The main floor also includes a huge entrance hall and grand staircase.[2] Three guest rooms and the ambassador's private apartment are on the floor above; additional guest rooms are on the topmost floor.[8] [2] The art includes pieces borrowed from Versailles and the Louvre.[2] Works are mostly by French artists such as Pierre Bonnard, but also by non-French artists such as Igor Mitoraj.[2] The residents hosts some 10,000 people annually for receptions, cocktails, cultural events, and other occasions.[8]
It is designated as one of many contributing properties to the Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District,[12] a historic district roughly bounded by Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Florida Avenue, N.W., 22nd Street, N.W., P Street, N.W., and Rock Creek.[10] The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[10]