The History

Meridian House, at 1630 Crescent Place, was built by Ambassador Irwin Boyle Laughlin. He purchased the land in 1912, two years after his friend Henry White bought the adjacent site. After a long and distinguished career with the US Foreign Service, Mr. Laughlin retired in 1919 and built Meridian House, filling it with his collection of 18th century French drawings and Oriental porcelains and screens. Although he later returned to the diplomatic corps, serving as Ambassador to Greece and Spain in the 1920s and 30s, Mr. Laughlin also played an active role in Washington’s artistic and historical communities. Read More

The House

In 1929, Meridian House was described by Architectural Forum as: "Perhaps as fine a piece of work of its kind as this country can show... Certainly the manner of this house has not in this country been better done, not only in terms of stylistic authenticity, but in terms of pure architecture, meaning good taste in selectivity, in elimination, in execution. It cannot from its nature do otherwise than set a standard which should endure permanently." Read More