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Wilson, Woodrow House

Architect
Waddy Butler Wood
Style
Georgian
City
Washington, DC
Wilson, Woodrow House
Photo: APK, CC BY-SA 4.0
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The Woodrow Wilson House was built in 1915 by Henry Fairbanks to a Georgian design by Waddy Butler Wood, and purchased by Woodrow Wilson in the last months of his presidency as a gift for his wife, Edith Bolling Wilson. Wilson presented her the deed in December 1920 and the couple moved in on Inauguration Day, March 4, 1921. He lived there until his death in an upstairs bedroom on February 3, 1924. The National Trust for Historic Preservation now owns and operates the house as a museum.

the building

Wilson's additions. After moving in, Wilson added a billiard room, book stacks to hold his library of more than 8,000 volumes, and a one-story brick garage.

The balcony address. On November 11, 1923, Wilson addressed a crowd gathered outside from the house's balcony, one of his last public appearances.

the style

The house is designed in the Georgian style, fitting the residential character of the Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood just off Embassy Row where it stands.

More on Georgian

the architect

Waddy Butler Wood was a prominent Washington architect who designed the house in 1915, several years before it became Wilson's retirement home.

significance

The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and is a DC Historic Landmark (#L_0045) and National Register of Historic Places listed property; the National Trust for Historic Preservation operates it as a museum.

nearby

All 315 buildings in Washington, DC