Prospect House (Lingan-Templeman House)
- Style
- Georgian
- City
- Washington, DC
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Prospect House was built in 1788 for James Lingan, one of Georgetown's early merchants, to a design by William Thornton — the same architect who would go on to design the United States Capitol. President John Adams visited the house, and the Marquis de Lafayette stayed there as a guest, cementing its role as a hub for the young republic's political and social elite. It later served as overflow lodging while Blair House, the official presidential guest residence, was under renovation.
the building
Thornton's Georgetown work. William Thornton designed Prospect House years before winning the competition for the U.S. Capitol, making it one of the rare surviving residential commissions from an architect better known for the nation's most prominent public building.
A house of owners. The house passed through a notable string of residents, including Secretary of Defense James Forrestal and, in 1951, Congressman Richard Thurmond Chatham and his wife Patricia Firestone Coyner, who purchased and remodeled the property.
the style
Prospect House is built in the Georgian style, the restrained brick idiom favored by Georgetown's merchant class in the late eighteenth century, well before the city's later Federal and Victorian waves of construction.
More on Georgianthe architect
William Thornton designed Prospect House in 1788, early in a career defined by his later, far more famous work: the original design for the United States Capitol.
significance
Prospect House is a DC Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its 2024 assessed property value was $14,660,100, and it sold in October 2025 for $9.8 million.
nearby
- Georgetown Car Barn
- Forrest-Marbury House
- Washington Canoe Club
- Lauinger Library
- Georgetown University, Healy Hall
- Georgetown University, Old North