A Beaux-Arts Beauty

— Adams Morgan Heritage Trail —

You are now standing in front of the longest-serving embassy building among Washington DC's more than 180 diplomatic missions: the Embassy of the Republic of Poland. Renowned architect George Oakley Totten designed the building for Mary Foote Henderson, who invested a considerable portion of her husband Senator John Henderson's fortune to make this part of 16th Street the most magnificent avenue in the Nation's Capital — and an embassy enclave. The building remains a superb example of early 20th-century Beaux-Arts design.

Completed in 1910, the white limestone structure features double-hung windows interspersed among balconies and porches in a fine blend of 17th and 18-century French and English styles.

The Hendersons built a two-story addition housing the Great Ballroom in 1912. Soon after the United States and Poland established diplomatic relations on April 16, 1919, the government of Poland purchased the building. The Polish Legation officially opened in 1920.

Since then, little has changed structurally except for modifications to the southwestern corner porches. In the 1960s a fence was added, and the open-air balconies were sealed.

Much of the English Renaissance style interior looks as it did a century ago, evoking an Old World ambiance. The second-floor conference and reception rooms showcase veined marble fireplaces, glazed columns, semi-circular Tuscan arches, and mirrored panels. The embassy is open to the public during special events. (For more information please visit the embassy's website.)

A life-sized bronze statue of world-renowned pianist and statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski stands to the building's left.

This historic marker was erected in 2011 to commemorate the centennial of the embassy building and the 90th anniversary of the establishment of Polish-U.S. diplomatic relations.
Marker produced by the Embassy of Poland in cooperation with District Department of Transportation and Cultural Tourism DC © 2011

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Show me all markers in:  Washington, DC  |  20009  |  District Of Columbia  |  United States of America

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