AROUND TOWN

The Mexican Cultural Center occupies the former home of Franklin MacVeagh (1837-1934), the Secretary of the Treasury during the Taft Administration (from 1909-1913), and his wife, Emily Sherrill (Eames) MacVeagh (1842-1916). Constructed in 1910-1911 as a surprise Christmas gift for her husband, Mrs. MacVeagh appointed the American Security and Trust Company as trustee, so permits and announcements were issued under the trust company name. 

The four-story Beaux Arts-style house designed by Nathan C. Wyeth (1870-1963) was built for approximately $120,000 (roughly $4M today). Wyeth is also known for his design of the White House West Wing, including the Oval Office, as well as the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Georgetown. At the time of Mrs. MacVeagh’s death in 1916, the house had appreciated to over $300,000 ($8.6M today).

Before building 2829 16th Street, NW, the MacVeaghs lived at Mrs. Delia Spencer Field’s (second wife of retailer Marshall Field) “Pink Palace” at 2600 16th Street, NW, from 1909 to 1911. 

After Mrs. MacVeagh’s death, the home the Third Assistant Secretary of State, Breckinridge Long (1881-1958), and his wife, Christine Alexander Graham Long (1888-1959), leased the residence through June 1921. During that time, the house was known as “Washington’s Guest House,” as it sometimes served as official accommodations for visiting international dignitaries, some of whom included King Albert and Queen Elizabeth of Belgium. 

In the mid-80s, having outgrown the MacVeagh Mansion, the embassy commissioned Peter Vercelli (1928-2019) to design and build a new $4.5M nine-story embassy building at 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Vercelli incorporated the the facades of the remaining two “Seven Buildings” located at 1909 and 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The Seven Buildings, built in 1796, were some of the oldest residential structures in Washington, DC, and temporary home to President James Madison and his wife, Dolly, during the reconstruction of the White House after the British invasion and burning of Washington, DC on August 24, 1814.

The MacVeagh Mansion is now home to the Mexican Cultural Institute of Washington, DC, which opened its doors in 1990.

2829 16th Street, NW was designated as an Historic Site in the DC inventory of Historic Sites in 2012 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The building is designated as a contributing structure of the Meridian Hill Historic District.