| Coordinates: | 38.9128°N -77.0423°W | ||||||||||||
| Type: | 501(c)(3) non-profit | ||||||||||||
| Location: | 1825 R. St. NW, Washington, D.C., United States | ||||||||||||
| Area Served: | Worldwide | ||||||||||||
| Focus: | Intercultural education | ||||||||||||
| Budget: | [1] | ||||||||||||
| Budget Year: | 2018 | ||||||||||||
| Num Members: | 96 current residents, over 15,000 alumni | ||||||||||||
| Footnotes: |
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The International Student House of Washington, D.C., abbreviated as ISH-DC (pronounced), is a residence at 1825 R St. NW in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., which houses primarily international students and young professionals studying or interning in the city.[2] [3] It is run by a nonprofit organization, International Student House Inc.[4] It is home to up to 96 people at any given time and has more than 15,000 alumni.[5] The residence also hosts events for residents[6] [7] and outside groups in its great hall, and serves breakfast and dinner to residents during weekdays.[8]
ISH-DC was established in 1936 by a group of Quakers as part of the international student house movement spearheaded by the missionary Waldo Stevenson.[9] [10] They sought to promote intercultural exchange[11] and to aid international students of color unable to find housing due to racist housing norms prevalent in the city at the time.[9] The group was originally located at 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW,[12] [13] but in 1946, it moved to its present location, a Tudor mansion built in 1912 for Henri Meserve.[9] In 1967, an additional residential building, Van Slyck Hall, was constructed adjacent to the main building, and in the 1980s, ISH-DC purchased a residential building, now named Marpat Hall, located behind the main building.[9] The main building and Marpat Hall are listed as contributing properties to the Dupont Circle Historic District.[14]
At full capacity, ISH houses 96 people.[5] The house also has over 15,000 alumni.[5] Over the course of 2018, ISH hosted 194 residents from 48 countries.[15] Geographically, 38% of residents were from Europe, 28% from North America, 23% from Asia, 5% from Africa, 5% from South America, and 1% from Oceania.[15] Most ISH residents are in their 20s, with an average age of 27.[5]
ISH supplements its income by renting its common spaces to external groups for events.[1] In June 2020, ISH ended its food services contract with Sodexo and switched to a local Nordic restaurant, Mikko.[16]