Cutts-Madison House
Built between 1818 and 1819 on Lafayette Square, the Cutts-Madison House enjoyed a prominent place in DC and its social society.
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Also known as the Dolley Madison House, the Cutts-Madison house was constructed on Lafayette Square by Richard Cutts, who built the American-colonial style house for himself and his wife, Anna Payne Cutts (the sister of Dolley Payne Madison). The house had two stories, a gabled roof, dormer windows, and chimneys at the north and south ends of the house. The exterior was originally grey stucco.
When the former First Lady lived in the residence from 1837 until her death in 1849, dirt roads bordered the house on the west and north sides. A large garden with flowers and fruit trees occupied the east and south sides of the house, which extended south as far as the Benjamin Ogle Tayloe House on the south end of the block. The home was considered one of the more “pretentious” domiciles in the city at the time, perhaps fittingly as Dolley Madison was a prominent socialite and hosted parties at the residence.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
