Decatur House - Washington, D.C.

The Decatur House is located on Jackson Place, along Lafayette Square, in Washington, D.C.  It was the home of Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr.  The 3-story red brick townhouse was designed in the Federal Style by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe and completed in 1818.  The house and property was purchased by Decatur with money he won during his naval battles in the War of 1812.  When Decatur and his wife, Susan, moved into the house on President's Park, now known as Lafayette Square, it was the first residence built in the White House neighborhood.  They became one of the city's most celebrated couples, due in great part to his status as a war hero.  He had made a name for himself in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812 and the couple now lived in high style in the nation's capitol.  But they would only live in the home for a little over a year.  On March 22, 1820, Decatur was mortally wounded in a duel with Commodore James Barron.  He was brought back here to his home, where he died several hours later.  For the next fifteen years Susan rented the home.  From 1827 to 1822 it was the home of the Secretaries of State, with Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren and Edward Livingston renting out the house consecutively during their time in office.  By 1836 Susan, owing to mounting debt, could no longer maintain the house and was forced to sell.  It was bought by John Gadsby, a wealthy hotel owner, who housed slaves from his household in the ell which runs along H Street.  In ensuing years the house was rented or owned by Vice President George M. Dallas, General Edward Beale, and Ambassador Truxton Beale, whose widow, Marie Beale, bequeathed the house to the National Trust For Historic Preservation in 1956.  The National Center For White House History now operates out of the Decatur House.  It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961. 

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