Congressional Club
Built in 1914 for spouses of high-ranking government figures, the Congressional Club is one of several grand Beaux-Arts structures along Sixteenth Street.
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The Congressional Club is a distinctive classical building with a prominent domed rotunda at the corner of Sixteenth Street and New Hampshire Avenue. Designed by architect George Oakley Totten Jr. (1866-1939), the 1914 building exemplifies the vision of Mary Foote Henderson, a club member and forceful advocate for the development of Sixteenth Street according to the principles of the City Beautiful Movement.
The Congressional Club provides a politically neutral meeting space for a distinctive and selective group of women: the wives and daughters of United States Congressmen and Cabinet members. During the Wilson administration, the Congressional Club was the only non-governmental organization asked to serve as an official extension of the White House in hosting important diplomatic and social events. Additionally, during World War I the Congressional Club made nationally significant wartime contributions, serving as a nexus between Washington, DC and local communities across the country in organizing state-side activities. Today, the Congressional Club remains in operation and annually hosts a luncheon honoring the First Lady of the United States.
DC Inventory: July 28, 2011
National Register: October 6, 2011
Within Greater U Street Historic District
