Old French Embassy - View this location on map  This former embassy is among the finest of nearly a dozen Meridian Hill mansions built by the formidable Mary Foote Henderson (1841-1931), in collaboration with her favorite architect, George Oakley Totten. Built in 1906-07, the project was her first successful enticement of a foreign mission to Sixteenth Street, in keeping with her great ambition to create an 'Avenue of Presidents' lined with lavish embassies and memorials. It is a superb example of Beaux-Arts residential architecture, ranking among Totten's finest work. The embassy was planned and built under French ambassador Jean Jules Jusserand, who served from 1902-25 as one of the most influential and admired foreign diplomats ever assigned to the Washington corps. It was the site of critical political conferences during and after World War I, and served as Jusserand's residence until his retirement. The building is 4 stories with a domed corner pavilion, loggias, and mansard roofs; facades are limestone and terra cotta in the Parisian high style of Louis XVI and the Second Empire. 2460 16th Street, NW, Washington , DC Historical |