A LOOK AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD

DOUGLAS REID WEIMER

From the Cosmos Club’s refurbished Hillyer House,
a picture of this vibrant, historic area emerges.

(This article is based on original research by the author, who prepared an informal history of 2164 Florida Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, for the Cosmos Club. The building now located there, Hillyer House, serves as an annex to the Club. Originally constructed in 1909 as an apartment building, “The Newport,” the property was purchased in the 1950s by the French government and served as the offices of the French Military Mission. The author, after considerable historical scrutiny of 2164 Florida Avenue and its past residents, found no trace of historical pedigree or, for that matter, much of a past. What he did discover, however, is that the site is interesting and noteworthy, though from quite a different perspective. —The Editor)

Hillyer House, the Cosmos Club’s annex at 2164 Florida Avenue, adjacent to the main Clubhouse, is a building with several lives. Thanks to the Club, it now bears a name, if not a pedigree, of some historical significance in the life of late 19th and early 20th century Washington. Neither the structure, renovated by the Club in 1997 and renamed, nor its past occupants appear to have contributed significantly either to local or national history. Yet detailed research into the history of the Florida Avenue address sheds new light on the diverse architectural and social fabric of Washington’s Sheridan/Dupont/ Kalorama neighborhood. The neighborhood’s most interesting historical period was probably from 1914-1920, when various prominent members of the Wilson Administration lived in the area.

In the early 19th century, Florida Avenue was known as Boundary Street, since it formed one of the outer limits of the old Washington City. It also served as the informal termination point for urban real estate development. Boundary Street was a major traffic route during the 19th century and not a particularly desirable residential area. But with the growth of the federal government and subsequent real estate development, the city expanded westward toward Georgetown and northward toward the Maryland border. In 1890, as part of this growth, Boundary Street was renamed Florida Avenue. Several surviving 19th century structures along Florida Avenue are quite modest, although much more opulent buildings were constructed in the neighborhood around the turn of the century.

The lot on which the original building at 2164 Florida Avenue—“The Newport”—was constructed was part of a tract of land purchased by Curtis J. Hillyer in 1871. Hillyer was active in real estate development and the neighborhood was known as “Hillyer’s Subdivision.” In 1873, Hillyer built a grand Second Empire-style house, with a central tower, mansard roof, and elongated windows, which fronted around the corner on Massachusetts Avenue. During the remainder of the 19th century, Hillyer and his heirs sold off various parcels of the tract.

THE PALACE BUILDERS

Toward the end of the century, Massachusetts Avenue became one of the favorite residential areas of Washington’s growing community of millionaires. One author has called them the “palace builders of Massachusetts Avenue” and has described them as rich, diversified, and flamboyant. The intersection of Massachusetts and Florida Avenues was in the western path of this development. The immediate neighborhood of 2164 Florida Avenue was home to several colorful millionaire families.

In 1898, the house built on the adjacent property at 2121 Massachusetts Avenue was purchased from the Hillyer family by Mrs. Richard Townsend. Instead of demolishing the then “old-fashioned” Hillyer mansion, Mrs. Townsend remodeled the house along the lines of the “Petit Trianon” at Versailles. According to Hope Ridings Miller, author of Great Houses of Washington, D.C., Mrs. Townsend believed that she would encounter evil or death if she were to live in a totally new house. Because of this superstitious fear, she stipulated that many of the walls of the earlier Hillyer house be incorporated into her new residence, so that the resulting home would not be a “new” house. As the Townsend house (now the main Cosmos Clubhouse) incorporated much of the structure of the Hillyer house, the designation in 1997 of 2164 Florida Avenue as “Hillyer House” is historically inaccurate.

Several mansions were built about the same time in the immediate vicinity of the Townsend house. Across Massachusetts Avenue, diplomat Lars Anderson built his home in 1901. East on Massachusetts Avenue was the Walsh-McLean mansion, built by mining millionaire Thomas Walsh in 1901, and on 21st Street, Major D. Clinch Phillips built his home in 1897. All of these opulent structures were a reflection of the grandeur of the Gilded Age in America.

SURVEYING THE PAST

An architectural survey of 2164 Florida Avenue, commissioned by the Cosmos Club in 1998, makes some interesting observations:

The building was originally a different configuration, which was clear in examining the walls during the recent renovations. There is evidence that the rear of the building was initially a one-level structure with the other levels added later. The whole structure indicates that many prior renovations have occurred, with clearly closed-in openings and changes in the building configuration. It is possible that the initial structure was smaller and was enveloped with the larger building façade we see today. The current south and north walls were originally party walls that served as demising [boundary] walls between Hillyer house and formerly adjacent buildings to the north and south that are now demolished. Construction excavation in the areaways between the main buildings uncovered building materials and fixtures indicating that demolition [waste from] either the adjacent buildings or portions of the former Hilyer house is buried at this site.

This research indicates that 2164 Florida Avenue probably incorporated another, earlier building. After considerable thought, I have concluded that 2164 may have incorporated the Hillyer stable/carriage house. The Townsends built their own carriage house, which has been converted into the Powell Room. Presumably, a house as opulent as the Hillyer house had a large carriage house that may have had access to Florida Avenue.

Figure 1. Architect’s blueprints for the façade of 2164 Florida Avenue, dated 1908.

Examination of the original building permits, copies of which are in the Cosmos Club archives, shows that the rear portion of the building appears to have been a rectangular structure. The building design seems somewhat unusual, and may have been planned in this manner to incorporate the existing structure. The building permits reveal that the structure was designed in 1908 by Speiden & Speiden Architects of Washington, DC (see Figure 1). The building permit, dated March 9, 1909, was for a four-story apartment building that contained 16 apartments.

The owner of the property at the time of construction was John F. Lynch. Little is known about the architects or the owner. No references are made to the building, its architects, or its owner in the definitive work on Washington apartment buildings by James M. Goode (CC ‘80), Best Addresses. The fact that Goode has nothing to say about the building, its architects, and its owner may illustrate its lack of historical and architectural significance.

The original building plan is in the configuration of a capital I. Two light courts separate the structure in a front block 45 feet wide by 30 feet deep and a rear block 45 feet wide and 25 feet deep. The two blocks are connected by a passageway 14 feet wide at its narrowest point. The basement has a ceiling eight feet high, the next three floors have nine-foot ceiling heights, and the top floor has a ceiling height of eight feet, six inches. The building is constructed of masonry bearing walls with timber floors. The exterior walls are 13-inch-thick brick from the footings to the roof. The footings are of brick and concrete.

The building permits show that the building was constructed of brick, mortar, and terra cotta, was not wired for electricity, and, presumably, there was no elevator. The exterior of the building is typical of the many small apartment buildings built in Washington in the early 20th century. The first level was rusticated brick simulating a stone foundation. Rigid symmetry was used on the façade and the building appears to be designed in a somewhat Georgian revival style (see Figure 2). The exterior is stylistically unremarkable, and the least expensive building materials, brick and terra cotta, were used in the exterior construction.

Figure 2. The present-day Hillyer House, located at 2164 Florida Avenue. Photo courtesy of Quentin R. Lide.

The original apartment building appears to have been designed for a middle-class clientele. At that time, middle-class housing was being constructed in the Dupont Circle area, in part because of improved public transportation. A resident of 2164 Florida Avenue could catch a streetcar on Massachusetts Avenue to a downtown office or business. It appears the building had no lobby, reception desk, or doorman, though these were standard features in more upscale apartment buildings in the neighborhood. A drawing of the second-floor plan of 2164 from a 1983 study shows the probable configuration of the apartments. It is likely that there were two apartments in front and two in back. Each apartment probably had bathroom facilities, but kitchen facilities were not available or were very limited. The apartments probably were considered two-room “bachelor” apartments, a type that was common in more luxurious buildings in the neighborhood of 2164 Florida Avenue. For example, the Wyoming Apartments (2022 Columbia Road) and the Westmoreland (2122 California Street) originally had a number of apartments without kitchen facilities. City records indicate that a janitor resided in the basement at 2164.

A LIVELY SOCIAL SCENE

The neighborhood of 2164 Florida Avenue in the pre-World War I period must have been particularly charming. Marjorie Phillips, who lived one block east, has written eloquently of this era:

It seemed here on 21st Street at Dupont Circle there was a leisurely, almost southern village atmosphere, with hurdy gurdies playing and men pushing their carts of fresh flowers or fruits, crying “stra-a-berries” in loud melodious voices. The hurdy gurdies and the monkeys to pick up the pennies were frequent visitors during the day.

The 2164 Florida Avenue building was named “The Newport,” possibly because such a pretentious name alluded to the summer social capital of the time—Newport, Rhode Island. Perhaps the owner/architects wished to capitalize on the social position, wealth, and status of the neighbors in the immediate vicinity. However, a review of the Washington city directories of the tenants of 2164 Florida Avenue during the period of 1913-1940 does not reveal any names of national prominence.

While many of the residents of 2164 were probably middle-class office workers, their close neighbors lived in a very different world. Around the corner at the Townsend house, for example, Washington society gathered in 1909 for Mathilde Townsend’s debut. Her lavish 1910 wedding to socialite Peter Goelet Gerry of Rhode Island was attended by President and Mrs. William Howard Taft and the entire Cabinet. It was considered the social event of the year.

Perhaps the most interesting historical period for the neighborhood was 1914-1920, during the Wilson Administration. Several important members of the Administration resided just one block west of 2164. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt lived at 2131 R Street, while Roosevelt was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, a significant launching pad for his campaign for Vice President in 1920 (see box). Across the street from the Roosevelts, at 2132 R Street, was the home of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Another resident of the immediate neighborhood was Lucy Mercer, who was employed as Eleanor Roosevelt’s social secretary. She was also the longtime companion of Franklin Roosevelt. Lucy Mercer, her sister, and mother, Mrs. Carrroll (“Minnie”) Mercer, resided just up the street at 2131 Florida Avenue in the Decatur Apartments, another rather modest apartment building.

Probably the most historically significant incident to occur in the neighborhood of 2164 was the bombing of Palmer’s house on June 2, 1919, at the height of the “Red Scare” that followed World War I. After the Communist Revolution in Russia, there was growing concern in the United States about the spread of world communism. Historian Jonathan Daniels, who was in Washington at the time, described Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt’s experience with the bombing in Washington Quadrille. He wrote:

On the night of June 2 they [Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt] turned the corner into the block of their residence on R Street just minutes after a bomb exploded at the front of the house of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer across the street from their own. Palmer, who as patriot-politician had been super enthusiastic in rounding up “reds” of all shades, was safely sleeping at the back of his house. Eleanor found her children safe, too, though in shock she sharply scolded one for being out of bed. Then back on the sidewalk they met Alice and Nick Longworth who so often turned up in their company in these days. They had come quickly as spectators. The street was a sight to see. The whole front of the Palmer house, Alice reported, looked “as if it might fetch loose at any moment.” The street was plastered with debris, leaves, grass and bloody pieces of the body of the bomber who had been killed in his own terrorist act. The whole business, said Alice, “was curiously without horror.” The four of the Roosevelt clan went into Franklin’s house for talk about the incident and probably, despite Eleanor’s [temperance] views, for a steadying drink.

The incident further inflamed national and international suspicion of a “Red Menace” and stiffened the government’s resistance to official recognition of the Soviet Union.

THE DEPRESSION AND GREAT CHANGES

Economic and sociological changes had a great impact on 2164 Florida Avenue and its neighbors. According to city directories, in the Depression year of 1931, five apartments were vacant; almost one-third of the building was not producing income. However, a decade later, during World War II, the building was filled to capacity and one can presume that there was “doubling up,” as Washington struggled to accommodate “government girls,” war refugees, and military and civilian personnel.

The millionaire neighbors of 2164 were also affected by the Depression and World War II. Many changes occurred at the neighboring Townsend house. Mathilde Townsend divorced Senator Gerry in 1925 and married B. Sumner Welles, who later became Undersecretary of State during the Roosevelt Administration. Mathilde’s mother, Mrs. Richard Townsend, died in March 1931. Welles’ son Benjamin, in his recent biography of his father, Sumner Welles: FDR’s Global Strategist, described the Townsend mansion in 1931 this way:

With her death, the great mansion on Massachusetts Avenue became more sepulchral than ever, its tapestried salons and marbled halls silent except for the ticking of ornamental clocks or the low, canonical tones of the English butler, Frederick, responding to telephone inquiries. The French government, in need of an embassy residence, offered Mathilde $1 million for the house, a princely sum in that depression year ($9.2 million in today’s dollars), but she turned it down.

Mr. and Mrs. Welles spent most of their time at their country home, “Oxon Hill Manor” in Prince George’s County, Maryland. During World War II, the American Women’s Volunteer Service used the stables as a canteen, and in 1943 the Townsend house was occupied by the headquarters detachment of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. Mathilde Townsend Welles died in 1949, and her estate sold the property to the Cosmos Club on January 10, 1950, for $364,635. Mathilde Welles left no direct descendants.

Her stepson, Benjamin Welles, presented a dinner lecture entitled “Reminiscences of ‘21” on April 29, 1999, at the Cosmos Club. He held his audience spellbound with anecdotes of the very luxurious, but rather lonely lifestyle of the residents of the Townsend mansion. The life at 2121, with its dozens of servants, was far removed from the lives of the residents of 2164 Florida Avenue.

Across Massachusetts Avenue at 2118, Mrs. Anderson, now widowed, deeded her property there and its contents to the Society of the Cincinnati in 1937 for use as a headquarters and a museum. The Society’s members are descendants of certain commissioned officers who served during the Revolutionary War. The house was used for refugee activities during World War II. Recently, the Society undertook a major renovation of Anderson House.

The Walsh-McLean mansion to the east of Anderson House has had a variety of uses, as recounted by madcap heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean in Father Struck it Rich. During the Depression, the house was turned into government offices for New Deal programs. It was used for Red Cross and other warrelated activities during World War II.

The family suffered financial reversals and Mrs. McLean often pawned her precious Hope Diamond for spending money. The family never returned to live in the house, preferring their then-suburban home “Friendship” (now McLean Gardens) on Wisconsin Avenue. Following Mrs. McLean’s death in 1947, her estate sold the property to the government of Indonesia for use as an embassy.

The Phillips family had left the neighborhood by the Depression. Opening their home to the public in 1920 to view their art collection, the family built “Dunmarlin,” a large house on Foxhall Road, where they resided from the mid-1920s until the mid-1980s. The Phillips Collection has remained in operation at their former home and Laughlin Phillips (CC ‘71) serves as chairman of the board of trustees.

The property at 2164 Florida Avenue was acquired in the mid-1950s by France for use by the French Military Mission. The “Mission Technique d’Achat,” which had its offices and housed some staff at 2164 Florida Avenue, was responsible for purchasing military weapons and materiel from American suppliers. Once the construction of the large French Embassy complex off Reservoir Road was completed in the early 1980s, the French government no longer needed auxiliary office space. The Cosmos Club acquired the property on October 1, 1985, for $1,300,000.

The building remained vacant while the Club debated the future of the property. At one time demolition was actively considered. Ultimately, however, the Club refurbished the property. With the construction completed in late 1997, the building now operates as an annex to the main Clubhouse. A contest held to select a name for the building produced the building’s new name, “Hillyer House.”

The houses of the Dupont Circle area have been home to many famous families throughout the years, including a large number of political figures and others with presidential connections. My research of 2164 Florida Avenue, NW, and the building originally located there, though, has not turned up anything significant about this building or its residents, other than that the building is an integral part of one of Washington’s most historic neighborhoods. Though fascinating individuals lived in the immediate vicinity, by itself the building appears to have had little significant architectural or historical merit since its construction.

Recommended Readings:

Daniels, Jonathan. Washington Quadrille. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1968.
Froncek, Thomas. An Illustrated History of the City of Washington. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977.
Goode, James M. Best Addresses: A Century of Washington’s Distinguished Apartment Houses. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988.
McLean, Evalyn Walsh and Sparkes, Boyden. Father Struck it Rich. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1937.
Miller, Hope Ridings. Great Houses of Washington, D.C. New York: Bramhall House, 1969.

Douglas Reid Weimer (CC ‘92) is a legislative attorney at the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. He has served on the Cosmos Club’s History Committee (1997-present) and Legal Affairs Committee (1993-1997).

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