This 1905 Beau Arts mansion built as the winter home of Larz Anderson, an American diplomat, and his wife, Isabel, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996. The Andersons built their Washington home primarily for entertaining. From 1905 to 1937, they hosted diplomatic and inaugural receptions, formal dinners and luncheons, and concerts. The Andersons' guest lists included some of the most prominent statesmen and intellectuals from the United States and abroad, including William H. Taft, Calvin Coolidge, and Winston Churchill.
When Larz died in 1937, Isabel oversaw the gift of Anderson House and much of its original furnishings to The Society of the Cincinnati, a patriotic organization of which Larz had been a devoted member. Founded in 1783 by George Washington and other officers of the Continental Army, the Society is a non-profit historical organization devoted to preserving the memory of the American Revolution.
Following the tour, participants can visit the museum which currently has an exhibit called Fete Lafayette about the marquis de Lafayette's farewell tour of the United States in 1824-1825. More than 50 objects explore the tour's role in highlighting the country's revolutionary ideals for a new era, and Lafayette's contributions to the vision for the U.S.
NOTE: There are two flights of stairs: 29 steps to ascend and 16 steps to descend. An elevator is available.
We will meet at the entrance which is between 21st and 22nd Streets on Massachusetts Ave. NW, at 10:15 AM.
There will be an optional stop for lunch at a restaurant in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
16 guests are invited.