Alexander Melville Bell House
This corner residence is known for its impressive architecture and connection to scientist and inventor Alexander Graham Bell.
Text
This three-story, corner residence was constructed in 1854 and is notable for its Italiante details, cast iron lacework around the porch, and scored stucco cladding. Scientist and inventor Alexander Graham Bell purchased the house for his father, Alexander Melville Bell, and stepmother in 1881. Four years later, he started using the residence's carriage house for laboratory space. In 1893, the Volta Bureau and Laboratory was constructed across Volta Place NW, but Graham Bell continued to use the residence. In the early 1920s, the Volta Speech Association sold the property and it is now a private residence.
DC Inventory (Joint Committee on Landmarks): November 8, 1964
Within Georgetown Historic District