Embassy Row
About Embassy Row
Embassy Row stretches along Massachusetts Avenue from DuPont Circle to the National Cathedral and is home to more than 175 foreign embassies, residences, chanceries, and diplomatic missions. Full of rich history and beautiful architecture, each embassy is housed in a historic mansion once owned by Washington's elite.
Embassy Row Facts:
- Embassy Row was once the home of Al Gore. The Fairfax is what the building is now known as, although it was not a hotel at the time of Al Gore's residence.
- The original owner of the Hope Diamond, Evalyn Walsh McLean, lived on Embassy Row. She would keep the infamous diamond at her home during the day but had it transported to a safe deposit box each night.
- The Marble Fountain at DuPont Circle is a tribute to the art of ocean navigation. The three nude figures featured in the design represent the sea, the stars, and the wind.
- Embassy Row is the home of the Woodrow Wilson House. It is the only presidential museum in Washington, DC.
- Considered Washington's premier residential address in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Massachusetts Avenue became known for its numerous mansions and gained the nickname "Millionaires' Row".
- The Great Depression caused many to sell their homes on the high socialite stretch. The expansive old estates proved well-suited for use as embassies, and also as lodges of social clubs, giving Embassy Row its present name and identity.