Forrest-Marbury House
- Style
- Federal
- City
- Washington, DC
- Collection
- federal washington
The Forrest-Marbury House at 3350 M Street NW in Georgetown dates to 1788, built for Uriah Forrest, an early mayor of Georgetown. On March 29, 1791, it hosted a meeting between President George Washington and local landowners to negotiate the federal government's purchase of land for the new capital city — a negotiation that succeeded, clearing the way for the city to be built. In 1800 the house passed to real estate investor William Marbury, whose name would attach to one of the most consequential cases in American law.
the building
Marbury v. Madison. William Marbury moved into the house in 1800 while buying up large tracts of the District's Anacostia section. His fight with President Thomas Jefferson over undelivered federal appointments left over from the outgoing Adams administration became Marbury v. Madison, decided in 1803 by Chief Justice John Marshall against Marbury — the ruling that first established the Supreme Court's power of judicial review over the other branches of government.
the style
The house is identified as Federal architecture, the plain, classically proportioned style common to Georgetown rowhouses built in the young republic's first decades — fitting for a structure that predates the capital city it helped bring about.
More on Federalsignificance
The Forrest-Marbury House is a DC Historic Landmark (#L_0333) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognized both for its role in the 1791 founding of the capital and for its connection to Marbury v. Madison.
nearby
- Prospect House (Lingan-Templeman House)
- Georgetown Car Barn
- Saint John's Church, Georgetown
- City Tavern
- Washington Canoe Club
- Lauinger Library