The Trowbridge House

The Trowbridge House is an historic town house, adjacent to the Blair House on Lafayette Park across the street from the Old Executive Office Building of the White House. For many years, the structure was used for government offices.

Currently, The Trowbridge House Foundation is raising funds to convert the structure for a residence for former Presidents of the United States to stay when they visit Washington. Trowbridge House would then replace the current residence for former Presidents, the Presidential Townhouse at 716 Jackson Place, which was designated in 1969 by President Richard M. Nixon for use as lodging and work space for former presidents.

When the $6 million renovation is completed, the property, at 708 Jackson Place NW, will be linked with Blair House through a private garden courtyard and the basement. The Washington architectural firm of Leo A. Daly has drawn up the plans for renovation, which is now partitioned into offices and lacks a functioning bathroom (anyone working there uses one in an adjoining townhouse). New York decorator Alexa Hampton has provided designs for the interiors.

History

The house was built by William Petit Trowbridge, an engineer and mathematics professor, who built it in 1859. After building it, William Trowbridge lived there briefly before selling it in 1869. It was eventually leased by the federal government for office space in the early 1900s and was purchased by the government in 1950.

External links

• Trowbridge House Official Website
• Biography of William Petit Trowbridge

Source: Wikipedia