Old Stone House
- Year
- 1765
- Style
- vernacular
- City
- Washington, DC
The Old Stone House at 3051 M Street NW is the last surviving pre-Revolutionary colonial building in Washington, D.C., and one of the oldest structures in the city. Built starting in 1765, it grew in three phases over the 18th century from a single-story building into a house used for both residence and business, and it now stands as a museum among Georgetown's shops and restaurants.
the building
Built in three phases. The house began as a one-story structure in 1765 and was enlarged in stages through the 18th century, a piecemeal construction history typical of small colonial builders working within a single family's means rather than to a unified plan.
From car lot to museum. In the mid-20th century the property was, at one point, the site of a used-car dealership. The National Park Service acquired and renovated it in the 1950s, converting it into the house museum that occupies the site today.
the style
The house is an example of vernacular architecture, built plainly by local craftsmen for practical use rather than to any formal architectural style, which is precisely why it survived: it was never grand enough to be a target for redevelopment the way finer colonial buildings nearby were.
significance
Sentimental local folklore preserved the Old Stone House from demolition when many other colonial buildings in Georgetown were cleared for redevelopment. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, is a DC Historic Landmark, and is a contributing property to the Georgetown Historic District.
nearby
- Georgetown Custom House and Post Office
- Beall, Thomas, House (Newton D. Baker House)
- Grace Church (Grace Protestant Episcopal Church)
- City Tavern
- Mount Zion United Methodist Church
- Saint John's Church, Georgetown