Architects Foundation
Washington D.C., DC
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The Octagon
Washington, DC
Architects Foundation Board statement on The Octagon
The staff and board of the Architects Foundation, owner of The Octagon, want to share the AIA Board statement on systemic racial injustice. As the philanthropic partner of AIA, we agree that systemic racial injustice in any form, whet… Read More
The Bake Oven: Most families living in cities did not have their own ovens. Instead, they prepared their items for baking and carried them to a commercial baker who charged a fee for the use of the bakery ovens. The bake oven in the Tayloes’ kitchen (small door to the right of the hearth) allowed … Read More
Also under the first floor drawing room, there was a somewhat larger space for the servants to gather for their meals, carry out small chores (cleaning knives, polishing candlesticks, removing spots from delicate linens, etc.), and wait to be summoned by the system of bells to serve the Tayloes and … Read More
The presence of a vaulted storage area is evidence that this was the Octagon’s wine cellar. Families like the Tayloes, who entertained frequently, placed great importance on being able to serve a wide variety of fine wines and liquors. Alcoholic beverages consumed by the Tayloes and their contempo… Read More
Tayloe’s first choice for an architect, Benjamin Latrobe, designed a home that was very traditional, rectangular in shape, and way over Tayloe’s ideal budget. Tayloe purchased his wedge-shaped plot of land (for $1000) at the corner of 18th Street and New York Avenue in 1797, rendering Latrobe’s dra… Read More
The entryway was designed to give visitors a positive first impression when they come in from the street. In the winter, it minimizes the loss of heat when the front doors are open, and in summer it cuts down on the dust and flies that would otherwise enter the living space. The doors that separat… Read More
The entry hall also gives the house its name. When the Octagon was built over two centuries ago, round rooms were very fashionable in Federal style architecture. They were constructed with eight angled walls and the corners were plastered smooth to make a circle. Such rooms were called “octagon s… Read More
Above the fireplace here is a modern-day painting by Peter Waddell. According to Waddell, ‘history painting’ is never merely the direct portrayal of historical fact. Rather, it is an act of penetration – penetration into the past, and the subsequent recreation of that past in the present. This d… Read More
The Drawing Room previously served as a multi-function space, and it continues to do so today. Lectures, meetings, and events are frequently held in the Drawing Room.
The grandeur and expense of the Octagon’s architecture conveyed the valuable message that Colonel John Tayloe was a man to do business with. He was settled and clearly prosperous. His wife’s social alliances, carried out in the Octagon’s beautiful parlor and dining room, also served the business. … Read More
The winter social season was a time for lavish entertaining for families like the Tayloes, and Ann would certainly have had new gowns made in the latest fashions. She probably stayed up-to-date on the fashions from Europe through magazines that published fashion plates.Most women in Washington, free… Read More
