When Was Embassy Row Built?

Embassy Row (Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC) was primarily developed 1900–1930.

Origins

• Gilded Age elites built grand Beaux-Arts mansions (1890s–1920s) on large lots.
• Post-WWI, many families sold/donated homes; foreign governments purchased them for embassies.
• 1930s–50s: Purpose-built chanceries filled gaps.

Notable Conversions

• British Embassy – Former Davies Mansion (1930).
• Italian Embassy – Former Boardman House (1920s).
• French Embassy – Former Walsh-McLean House (1936).
• Turkish Embassy – Former Everett House (1936).

Designation

Formally Massachusetts Avenue Historic District (NRHP 1974). ~50 embassies/residences line the corridor.