A tour of Historic Lafayette Square Washington, D.C.

Equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square with White House in the background. The statue of Andrew Jackson was unveiled January 8, 1853. It was a Saturday on the 38th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, and according to an account by a reporter for the Washington Union, twenty thousand people attended in and around the park. Senator Stephen A. Douglas was the keynote speaker at the unveiling. There are two other castings in New Orleans, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Lafayette Square is a seven-acre public park located directly north of the White House on H Street between 15th and 17th Streets, NW. The Square and the surrounding structures were designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1970. Originally planned as part of the pleasure grounds surrounding the Executive Mansion, the area was called "President's Park". The Square was separated from the White House grounds in 1804 when President Jefferson had Pennsylvania cut through. In 1824, the Square was officially named in honor of General Lafayette of France.

Lafayette Square has been used as a racetrack, a graveyard, a zoo, a slave market, an encampment for soldiers during the War of 1812, and many political protests and celebrations. Andrew Jackson Downing landscaped Lafayette Square in 1851 in the picturesque style.

The Jackson Place complex consists of six historic nineteenth-century rowhouses lining the square, between which are five historically sympathetic recent buildings. The block begins at 704 Jackson Place, which is part of the President’s Guest House complex, and terminates on H Street at the 1819 Stephen Decatur House, designed by Benjamin Latrobe. The plans of the attached houses are typical of the era—three stories with a basement and three bays wide, with off center entrances on a piano nobile. All houses are of masonry construction, with either sandstone or brick decorative trim and door surrounds.

Planned as a quiet place of respite for the president of the United States, Lafayette Square became a crossroads of history as generations of residents and visitors to the nation’s capital lived, worked, gathered, and strolled through its manicured grounds. Yet as the city grew up around it, the former President’s Square retained its nineteenth-century character, evoking a very different Washington.

Two urns reside on the south side of the district, between Jackson Place and Madison Place. They each stand at 5 feet tall by 4 feet wide, and are made of bronze with granite bases. The sides of the urns are decorated with classical female figures. The urns were part of the original park plan as designed by Andrew Jackson Dowling in 1852. They may have been designed by Dowling, or his assistant Calver Vaux. The urns were cast in a New York foundry at the orders of George M. Robeson, who was Secretary of the United States Navy at the time. The urns were originally placed on granite bases in the center of two small flower beds to the east and west sides of the Andrew Jackson statue. In 1879, they were fitted with metal pans which allowed them to be used as flower pots. The park was redesigned in 1936, and the urns were moved to their current location.

Lafayette Square has been used as a racetrack, a graveyard, a zoo, a slave market, an encampment for soldiers during the War of 1812, and many political protests and celebrations. Andrew Jackson Downing landscaped Lafayette Square in 1851 in the picturesque style.

Two urns reside on the south side of the district, between Jackson Place and Madison Place. They each stand at 5 feet tall by 4 feet wide, and are made of bronze with granite bases. The sides of the urns are decorated with classical female figures. The urns were part of the original park plan as designed by Andrew Jackson Dowling in 1852. They may have been designed by Dowling, or his assistant Calver Vaux. The urns were cast in a New York foundry at the orders of George M. Robeson, who was Secretary of the United States Navy at the time. The urns were originally placed on granite bases in the center of two small flower beds to the east and west sides of the Andrew Jackson statue. In 1879, they were fitted with metal pans which allowed them to be used as flower pots. The park was redesigned in 1936, and the urns were moved to their current location.

Washington, D.C.was designated as the site for the United States capital in the 1790 Residence Act, with authority given to President George Washington to ready the capital for the government by 1800. Contests were held to solicit votes for both the United States Capitol and the President's residence. James Hoban's design was selected, and he supervised the construction of the White House. Later on, the White House was expanded with the West Wing, which now houses the office of the president and staff. The White House grounds include the South Lawn, Rose Garden, Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, and North Lawn.

The park was separated from the White House grounds in 1804, when President Thomas Jefferson had Pennsylvania Avenue cut through. In 1824, the park was officially renamed in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the Frenchman who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

In the four corners are statues of foreign Revolutionary War heroes: Major General Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette and Major General Comte Jean de Rochambeau of France, Brigadier General Thaddeus Kosciuszko of Poland, and Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben of Prussia.

 

Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben of Prussia's statue.

The Jackson Place complex consists of six historic nineteenth-century rowhouses lining the square, between which are five historically sympathetic recent buildings. The block begins at 704 Jackson Place, which is part of the President’s Guest House complex, and terminates on H Street at the 1819 Stephen Decatur House, designed by Benjamin Latrobe. The plans of the attached houses are typical of the era—three stories with a basement and three bays wide, with off center entrances on a piano nobile. All houses are of masonry construction, with either sandstone or brick decorative trim and door surrounds.

Completed in 1819, Decatur House is significant as the first private residence constructed on Lafayette Square and the last of Benjamin Henry Latrobe's city houses in America to be preserved. Latrobe is also known for his architectural work on the Capitol, the White House and Saint John's Church. Like other Latrobe residential designs, Decatur House emphasizes the vestibule, making it the architectural center of the interior. The vestibule's reconciliation of three geometric forms (rectangle, circle, and semicircle) is another of Latrobe's architectural contributions, one first seen in his designs for the Capitol.

St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square

Organized as a parish in 1815, it was named for Saint John, the Evangelist. The building opened and the first service was held at St. John's Church on October 27, 1816. The Rev. William Dickinson Hawley served as its rector from 1817 to 1845, also serving as Chaplain of the Senate.The church building was designed by Benjamin Latrobe, architect of the U.S. Capitol Building, and is constructed of stucco-covered brick, taking the form of a Greek cross. In 1820, the portico and tower were added.

The bell in St. John's steeple weighs nearly 1,000 pounds. It was cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph, at his Boston foundry in August 1822 and installed at St. John's on November 30, 1822. President James Monroe authorized a $100 contribution of public funds toward the purchase of this church bell, which also served as an alarm bell for the neighborhoods and public buildings in the vicinity of the church. St. John's bell is one of two Revere bells in Washington, both cast and installed in 1822. However, of the two, St. John's bell is the only one that has been in continuous service since its installation. According to at least two accounts, whenever the bell tolls because of the death of a notable person, six ghostly men in white robes appear in the President's pew at midnight and then vanish.

 

Long known as "the Church of the Presidents," St. John's Episcopal Church has served virtually as the chapel to the White House for nearly two centuries. Every President since James Madison has worshiped here on some occasion. As far back as 1816, records show that a committee was formed to wait on the President of the United States and offer him a pew. James Madison chose pew 54 and insisted on paying the customary annual rental. The next five Presidents in succession--James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison--occupied this pew during their terms of office. Since then, by tradition, pew 54 has been set aside for Presidents of the United States. There are other ways in which the church is further connected with Presidents. Many Presidents have been members of the church. James Madison's wife, Dolly, was baptized and confirmed here. Franklin D. Roosevelt paid homage to tradition by spending a few minutes in prayer here on his two inauguration days.

The original Classical style church was built in the form of a Greek Cross, where each arm was equal in length. Latrobe conceived of his churches as meeting houses, with open preaching space unencumbered by piers and columns. As a result, he insisted on simplicity in architecture and a pulpit centrally located so that all might see. St. John's size soon proved inadequate for the growing congregation. In 1820, workmen extended the west transept arm and fronted it with a Roman Doric portico, which resulted in a Latin Cross form. Over time, further alterations, such as the triple-tiered steeple, significantly altered Latrobe's plan, but the original structure is still recognizable.

There are many notable treasures in the church such as the twenty-seven handsome memorial windows adorning the building. An 18th-century prayer book placed in the President's pew has been autographed by many of the Presidents. A silver chalice and a solid gold communion chalice, encrusted with jewels, are also among its treasures.

The sanctuary windows of the church are regarded as outstanding examples of the art forms of painted and stained glass from the nineteenth century. During the 1880s, the church retained the services of Madame Lorin, Curator of Glass at Chartres Cathedral in France, to design more than twenty stained glass windows including the unique vertical representation of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper above the altar. A few modern windows have since been added, notably the two “Sacramental Windows” of translucent blue in the north transept on the main floor of the church, and the McCants and Red Cross windows directly opposite in the south transept, on either side the Lorin-designed window given by President Chester Arthur in memory of his wife, Ellen Herndon Arthur.

Equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square. The statue of Andrew Jackson was unveiled January 8, 1853. It was a Saturday on the 38th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, and according to an account by a reporter for the Washington Union, twenty thousand people attended in and around the park. Senator Stephen A. Douglas was the keynote speaker at the unveiling. There are two other castings in New Orleans, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square. It was commissioned in May 1847, cast in 1852, and dedicated on January 8, 1853, by Stephen A. Douglas.

It was the first equestrian statue made in America. Jackson's horse at the Battle of New Orleans was named Duke; but Mills modeled the horse from his horse named Olympus. Mills trained his horse to pose on its haunches to model the pose. He completed a plaster model, and started a foundry to produce the casting. He had to produce 6 castings until the final one was completed, in 10 pieces

 

The Benjamin O. Tayloe House, built 1828, is another classic example of the Federal style. Although also renovated over time by later occupants, including an addition to the north to provide a connection to the Cosmos Club, the original section of the three-story Tayloe House retains its historic nineteenth-century character through its simple three-bay symmetry and brick exterior

The circa 1818-19 Dolley Madison House, a simple, three-story buff colored stucco building, is a quintessential example of the reserved Federal style of the early Republic. The first three bays are the original house, with a later addition constructed after the building was purchased by the Cosmos Club in the 1880s. The ornamental wrought iron porch was added after the former first lady sold the house to explorer Charles Wickes.

ABOUT CUTTS-MADISON HOUSE:


"The Cutts-Madison House (also known as the Dolley Madison House) is an American colonial-style historic home located at 721 Madison Place NW in Washington, D.C. The house is best known for being the residence of former First Lady Dolley Madison, who lived there from November 1837 until her death in July 1849.



The Cutts-Madison House is a National Historic Landmark, part of the Lafayette Square Historic District.



Construction



On March 31, 1793, the U.S. Commissioners in charge of selling federally-owned lots in the District of Columbia agreed to sell square 221 to Samuel Davidson. Davidson died in 1810, and his son and two daughters inherited the property. Richard Cutts purchased lots 12, 13, 14, and 15 of square 221 from the Davidson heirs on October 3, 1818.



The house was constructed in 1818-1819 by Richard Cutts, who built the house for himself and his wife, Anna Payne Cutts (Dolley Payne Madison's sister). The house had two stories, a gabled roof, dormer windows, and chimneys at the north and south ends of the house. The exterior was originally grey stucco. The front of the house faced Lafayette Square. The lot on which the house sat was a large one, with extensive space on all sides. Dirt roads bordered the house on the west and north sides, and a large garden with flowers and fruit trees occupied the east and south sides of the house. The garden extended south as far as the Tayloe House on the south end of the block. The home was considered one of the more "pretentious" domiciles in the city at the time.



The city graveled the street in front of the house in 1823.



Occupants



Dolley Madison



Cutts secured a mortgage to build the house, and on August 22, 1828, the bank holding the mortgage sold it to ex-President James Madison for $5,750. When James Madison died in 1836, Dolley Madison held the mortgage. Her husband's death had left Dolley Madison in a financially difficult position, so to reduce her expenses she took up residency in the house in November 1837. Presidents James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, and Zachary Taylor all visited her in the home, as did John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster. Dolley Madison's financial difficulties continued, however. She also owned Montpelier, her husband's country estate and farm in the Piedmont of Virginia. But Montpelier's finances were in poor condition, and Dolley moved out of the Cutts-Madison House in 1839 to live once more at Montpelier and see if she could save the estate. She rented out the Cutts-Madison house, but was unable to stabilize Montpelier. She moved back to the Cutts-Madison House in 1843, and sold Montpelier in 1844.



In 1844 or 1845, after her return to the Cutts-Madison House, arsonists put lit matches into the shutters in the rear of the house, and Dolley Madison had to be wakened and saved from death by a servant. The fire was quickly put out, and the damage to the building not extensive (Mrs. Madison returned to her bedroom the same night).



Dolley Madison lived in the house on Lafayette Square until her death on July 12, 1849. Her only surviving child, John Payne Todd (from her first marriage to Quaker lawyer John Todd), inherited the property. On April 3, 1851, Todd sold the house and property to Charles Wilkes."