The Octagon House facts for kids
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The Octagon House
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The Octagon House in 2014
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 Location in Central Washington, D.C.
Location in the District of Columbia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1799 New York Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Built | 1799 |
| Architect | William Thornton |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000863 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 19, 1960 |
The Octagon House, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe III House, is a famous building in Washington, D.C.. It is located at 1799 New York Avenue in the Foggy Bottom area. This house was built in 1799 for John Tayloe III, who was a very wealthy landowner. He built it because George Washington suggested it.
A very important event happened here in September 1814. British forces had burned the White House during the War of 1812. For six months, the Octagon House became the home of United States President James Madison and First Lady Dolley Madison. It is one of only five houses in U.S. history to serve as a presidential home. It is also one of only three such homes that are still standing today. The other two are the White House and Blair House.
John Tayloe III was born at Mount Airy, a large estate in Virginia. His father, John Tayloe II, built this estate. It was part of a huge area of farms, about 60,000 acres in total. John Tayloe III went to school in England at Eton College and Cambridge University. He later served in the Virginia state government.
John Tayloe III married Ann Ogle in 1792. She was the daughter of Benjamin Ogle. People said Tayloe was the richest landowner in Virginia at that time. He built the Octagon House in Washington, D.C., because George Washington suggested it. The Tayloes first planned to use it as a winter home. But from 1818 to 1855, they lived there all year. The property also had other buildings, like a smokehouse, stables, and slave quarters. The Tayloe family owned many enslaved people. Between 12 and 18 enslaved people worked at the Octagon House.
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History of the Octagon House
Building the Tayloe Home
John and Ann Tayloe thought about building a house in Philadelphia. But George Washington convinced them to build in the new capital city, Washington, D.C. Washington wanted to help the new city grow. Colonel Tayloe chose William Thornton as the architect. Thornton also designed the United States Capitol.
On April 19, 1797, Tayloe bought the land for $1,000. It was a triangular lot at the corner of New York Avenue and 18th Street NW. This area was mostly open country back then.
In 1799, Dr. William Thornton wrote that Mr. Tayloe was building a house worth $13,000. Thornton had to design a house that fit the unusual triangular lot. He made the house face both streets equally. The house actually has six sides, but the Tayloes called it "The Octagon." It was very modern for its time, with closets on every floor. The house was built with brick and sandstone. The inside was fancy, with mahogany doors. It even had secret doors in the dining room!
The Tayloes had 15 children, and 13 lived to be adults. Their oldest son, John Tayloe IV, fought in the War of 1812. He served on the USS Constitution. Three of their sons, Edward Thornton Tayloe, George Plater Tayloe, and Henry Augustine Tayloe, were born at the Octagon.
The War of 1812 and the President's Stay
John Tayloe III was not a big supporter of President James Madison or the war with England. But he was active in the local military. When British forces came to Washington in August 1814, a French Flag was flying outside the Octagon. Ann Ogle Tayloe had offered the house to the French consul. This helped protect the house from being burned by the British. The British had orders not to damage private homes. When Dolley Madison fled the city, she even sent her pet parrot to the Octagon for safety.
President James Madison and his wife, Dolley Madison, moved into the Octagon on September 8, 1814. This was after the White House was burned. President Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent here on February 17, 1815. This treaty officially ended the War of 1812. Dolley Madison was famous for hosting parties, and she continued to do so at the Octagon. The Tayloes received $500 for the Madisons' six-month stay.
After the War: 1815-1960s
John Tayloe III helped start St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square in 1814. He served as a trustee and donated silver for communion.
John Tayloe III died in 1828 at the Octagon. Ann Ogle Tayloe lived there until she died in 1855. After Ann's death, the Tayloe children rented out the house. In the 1860s, it was a girls' school. In the 1870s, the U.S. Navy used it as office space. By the 1880s, many families lived in the house, perhaps one in each room.
In 1898, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) chose the Octagon as their new main office. They rented it for four years, then bought it in 1902. The Octagon was the AIA's headquarters until the 1960s.
The Octagon Museum
The Octagon opened as a museum in 1970. In the early 1990s, it was restored to look like it did in 1817–1818. The colors and room setups show how it looked back then. The museum was closed for several years, from 2007 to 2013.
Today, the American Institute of Architects Foundation runs the museum. You can take self-guided tours and see different exhibits. You can also book guided tours. The Octagon was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960. It is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays.
Architectural Design
The Octagon House is a three-story brick building. Its design was very new for its time. It broke away from older styles like Georgian architecture and early Federal architecture. The house combines a circle, two rectangles, and a triangle in its layout. Its elegant design makes it a top example of Federal architecture in the U.S. Many decorative items and furniture came from England. But the bricks, wood, iron, and sandstone were all local materials.
It's not clear why the six-sided building is called "The Octagon." One idea is that the main circular room was built with eight walls. Then, the corners were filled in to make it round. Another idea is that the eight angles formed by the unusual shape of the six walls led to the name.
Alleged Hauntings
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The Octagon House is said to be one of the most haunted homes in Washington, D.C. People have reported seeing ghosts or feeling strange things. These events have happened on the spiral staircase, landings, bedrooms, and in the garden. Visitors, museum staff, and curators have all reported these experiences.
There are many ghost stories about the Octagon House. Since it's one of the oldest buildings in the city, it's a perfect place for spooky tales. The stories shared here are just some of the legends. They are not proven historical facts.
Ringing Bells
One of the oldest ghost stories is about the mysterious ringing of the servant's call bells. This legend is linked to the enslaved people who lived and worked there. People say that after John Tayloe III died, the bells would ring loudly by themselves. Even after the wires were cut, they still rang.
Virginia Tayloe Lewis, a granddaughter of John Tayloe III, wrote about this. She said, "The bells rang for a long time after my Grandfather Tayloe's death. Everyone said that the house was haunted. The wires were cut and still they rang."
General George D. Ramsay also had an experience with the bells. He was staying at the Octagon one night. While the family was eating, the bells started ringing loudly. The butler was very scared. General Ramsay tried to stop them by holding the ropes, but they kept ringing.
By 1874, the bell legend was well known. Some people thought rats were causing it. Others said the cause was never found. The family eventually took the bells down to stop the ringing.
Dolley Madison's Ghost
Many ghost stories involve Dolley Madison. She was famous for hosting parties in the early 1800s. She is a popular ghost in Washington, D.C. Dolley and James Madison lived in the Octagon House after the White House was burned.
Legends say that Dolley Madison still hosts ghostly parties at the Octagon. People often report seeing her in the front hall and drawing room. They also say they can smell lilacs when her ghost is near.
The Tayloe Daughters' Legends
The most detailed and popular legends are about the deaths of the Tayloes' daughters. These stories are very well known. Visitors often believe they are true. However, there is no proof that any of these stories actually happened.
The legend first appeared in a newspaper article in 1908. It has been on TV shows and in many ghost books. The stories usually go like this:
Two of Colonel Tayloe's daughters are said to haunt the Octagon. One supposedly died before the War of 1812. The story says she argued with her father on the second floor landing. She was upset about her relationship with a British officer. When she turned to go down the stairs, she fell and died. Her ghost is supposedly seen at the bottom of the stairs. Sometimes, people see a candle light moving up the staircase.
The other story says another daughter died around 1817. She ran away with a young man, which made her father angry. When she came back to make up with him, they argued on the third-floor landing. This daughter also fell down the stairs and died. Her ghost is said to haunt the third floor landing and the stairs between the second and third floors.
There is no historical proof for these stories. None of the Tayloes' daughters died in the Octagon. One daughter died as a baby in 1800. Another, Rebecca Plater Tayloe, died in 1815 at age 18. But the family was at their Mount Airy Plantation at that time. The Octagon was rented by President Madison. Another daughter, Elizabeth Mary Tayloe, died in 1832 at age 26 in Washington, D.C., but not at the Octagon.
Other Ghostly Reports
By 1888, the Octagon was known as a haunted house. Twelve men reportedly spent a night there to prove or disprove the legends. A newspaper account said they heard "three feminine shrieks" and "clanking of sabers and tramping of footfalls."
Alric H. Clay, a museum superintendent in the 1960s, claimed that spirits would turn on lights and open doors late at night.
In the late 1940s, a doctor visiting the house had a strange experience. He saw a man on the stairs dressed in an old military uniform. The caretaker told him there was no costume party.
A gambler who was shot in the third-floor bedroom in the late 1800s is also said to haunt that room. A 1912 newspaper article told of a man who stayed in that room and saw the ghost of a man killed over a card game.
Many other strange things have been reported at the Octagon. People say they hear rustling silk on the main staircase. The lamp in the main hallway supposedly swings by itself. Some people feel they are forced to avoid a spot at the foot of the main staircase. One curator even found "tiptoeing tracks of human feet in the undisturbed dust of the top floor landing."
See also
In Spanish: The Octagon House para niños
- Benjamin Ogle Tayloe House
- Benjamin Ogle Tayloe
- List of National Historic Landmarks in the District of Columbia
- List of octagon houses
- List of octagonal buildings and structures in the United States
- List of the oldest buildings in Washington, D.C.
- Mount Airy, Richmond County, Virginia
- John Tayloe III
- William Thornton
- Architecture of Washington, D.C.
