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Patterson Mansion
The Patterson Mansion (also known as the Patterson House or the Washington Club) is a historic Neoclassical-style mansion located at 15 Dupont Circle NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States.
It was built by Robert Wilson Patterson, editor of the Chicago Tribune newspaper, and used by him and his family for entertaining when he was in the city. Completed in 1903, it was deeded to the American Red Cross in 1948. The Red Cross sold it to the Washington Club in 1951. The structure was renovated and given a two-story addition in 1955. In June 2014, the Washington Club sold the mansion for $20 million to developer SB-Urban.
The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 5, 1972, and is one of two remaining mansions on Dupont Circle, the other being the Wadsworth House. It is a contributing property to both the Dupont Circle Historic District (added to the National Register in 1978) and the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District (added to the National Register in 1974).
The traffic circle that became Dupont Circle was first envisioned in 1791 by the L'Enfant Plan that established the route of Massachusetts Avenue NW. Much of the street passed through marshy areas that restricted development, including the area around Dupont Circle. After the American Civil War, several large mansions were built around the circle, where much of the area was still forested and afforded privacy.
Major development began around Dupont Circle in 1871, when a group of mine owners from the western United States, led by Curtis J. Hillyer and Senator William Morris Stewart, purchased $600,000 of nearby land. A large number of palatial residences, including Stewart's Castle, were soon constructed on and around the circle. In response to demands by this politically influential group, the city made major improvements to Massachusetts and Connecticut Avenue NW. The traffic circle itself, which had been enclosed by a rough wooden fence since the 1860s, was landscaped, pedestrian paths laid, and drinking fountains and gas street lighting added. Known as "Pacific Circle", it was renamed Dupont Circle in 1882 when the site was chosen for a statue to Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont that was erected in 1884.
On March 30, 1900, Robert Wilson Patterson's wife, Elinor "Nellie" Medill Patterson, purchased the lot at 15 Dupont Circle for $83,406 ($2,988,715 in 2025 dollars) from a Mrs. Anna Howell Stewart. Mrs. Patterson hired the architect Stanford White, who designed the Pattersons' home in Chicago, to develop plans for the house. They were finalized in April 1901, with a projected cost of $85,000 ($3,045,833 in 2025 dollars). The George A. Fuller Company began construction in June 1901. The home was nearly completed 18 months later. But on November 15, 1902, four days before her son Joseph's wedding to Alice Higinbotham, paint cans in the attic of the north wing of the house caught fire. Although the house suffered fire and water damage, it was repaired and the entire structure house completed by January 1903. The final cost of construction was $200,000 ($7,166,667 in 2025 dollars).
The Pattersons moved into the home in January 1903. They held the first party to which large members of the public were invited in February 1904, when Nellie Patterson hosted a gigantic cotillion ball for social debut of her daughter, Eleanor Josephine Medill "Cissy" Patterson.
Until 1922, Nellie Patterson kept a full staff of about 10 to 15 servants, dressed in livery, to provide services to the family and guests at the Patterson Mansion. Her husband, Robert Wilson Patterson, died in 1910.
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Patterson Mansion
The Patterson Mansion (also known as the Patterson House or the Washington Club) is a historic Neoclassical-style mansion located at 15 Dupont Circle NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States.
It was built by Robert Wilson Patterson, editor of the Chicago Tribune newspaper, and used by him and his family for entertaining when he was in the city. Completed in 1903, it was deeded to the American Red Cross in 1948. The Red Cross sold it to the Washington Club in 1951. The structure was renovated and given a two-story addition in 1955. In June 2014, the Washington Club sold the mansion for $20 million to developer SB-Urban.
The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 5, 1972, and is one of two remaining mansions on Dupont Circle, the other being the Wadsworth House. It is a contributing property to both the Dupont Circle Historic District (added to the National Register in 1978) and the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District (added to the National Register in 1974).
The traffic circle that became Dupont Circle was first envisioned in 1791 by the L'Enfant Plan that established the route of Massachusetts Avenue NW. Much of the street passed through marshy areas that restricted development, including the area around Dupont Circle. After the American Civil War, several large mansions were built around the circle, where much of the area was still forested and afforded privacy.
Major development began around Dupont Circle in 1871, when a group of mine owners from the western United States, led by Curtis J. Hillyer and Senator William Morris Stewart, purchased $600,000 of nearby land. A large number of palatial residences, including Stewart's Castle, were soon constructed on and around the circle. In response to demands by this politically influential group, the city made major improvements to Massachusetts and Connecticut Avenue NW. The traffic circle itself, which had been enclosed by a rough wooden fence since the 1860s, was landscaped, pedestrian paths laid, and drinking fountains and gas street lighting added. Known as "Pacific Circle", it was renamed Dupont Circle in 1882 when the site was chosen for a statue to Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont that was erected in 1884.
On March 30, 1900, Robert Wilson Patterson's wife, Elinor "Nellie" Medill Patterson, purchased the lot at 15 Dupont Circle for $83,406 ($2,988,715 in 2025 dollars) from a Mrs. Anna Howell Stewart. Mrs. Patterson hired the architect Stanford White, who designed the Pattersons' home in Chicago, to develop plans for the house. They were finalized in April 1901, with a projected cost of $85,000 ($3,045,833 in 2025 dollars). The George A. Fuller Company began construction in June 1901. The home was nearly completed 18 months later. But on November 15, 1902, four days before her son Joseph's wedding to Alice Higinbotham, paint cans in the attic of the north wing of the house caught fire. Although the house suffered fire and water damage, it was repaired and the entire structure house completed by January 1903. The final cost of construction was $200,000 ($7,166,667 in 2025 dollars).
The Pattersons moved into the home in January 1903. They held the first party to which large members of the public were invited in February 1904, when Nellie Patterson hosted a gigantic cotillion ball for social debut of her daughter, Eleanor Josephine Medill "Cissy" Patterson.
Until 1922, Nellie Patterson kept a full staff of about 10 to 15 servants, dressed in livery, to provide services to the family and guests at the Patterson Mansion. Her husband, Robert Wilson Patterson, died in 1910.
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