Old Hungarian Embassy
Like others nearby, this house was designed as an embassy, but it has housed other tenants for most of its history.
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Like Meridian Hall and several other mansions in the Meridian Hill Historic District, this building was part of Mary Foote Henderson's plan to beautify the area. She commissioned renowned architect George Oakley Totten, Jr. to design this building, which was constructed in 1927. Although she intended the building to serve as an embassy, Mrs. Henderson struggled to find an occupant for the property.
Later in the 40s, the house was sold to the American Legion and then to the Hungarian People's Republic, who began to use the property as an embassy as Mrs. Henderson had planned. Private ownership was reinstated in the 1970s, however, and the historic house now serves as the Josephine Butler Parks Center, an office for Washington Parks and People.
DC Inventory: December 16, 1987
National Register: March 16, 1988
