Our History
1777 F Street NW retains the original façade of what was once Michler Place, a row dwelling characteristic of Washington D.C.’s post-Civil War period. The building’s architecture is emblematic of the capital’s transformation into a truly national urban center.
The Boss of D.C.
Fiercely committed to making Washington a city worthy to be the nation’s capital, Alexander Robey “Boss” Shepherd oversaw a vast effort to renovate and modernize the capital’s infrastructure. During Shepherd’s time as Governor of the Territorial Government of the District of Columbia, sewers and water lines were laid down, streets were graded and paved, and 60,000 trees were planted. Michler Place was one of the many properties that Sheperd had built and owned around the city.
Nathaniel Michler
The row dwellings were likely named after Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Michler, a close friend of President Ulysses S. Grant. Michler, like Shepherd, was crucial in shaping the Washington D.C. we know today. As head of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, he advocated landscaping the city’s wide avenues as elegant boulevards and recommended the creation of the rectangular and circular parks around D.C. such as Farragut Square and Dupont Circle.
Row Dwellings
One of the quintessential aspects of D.C.’s post-Civil War modernization was the construction of row dwellings, which served as homes for Washington’s elite. It was between 1870 and 1871 that a series of thirteen row dwellings were erected on F Street NW between 17th Street and 18th Street: Michler Place. Government employees rarely brought their families to Washington prior to the 1870s. After the construction of residential buildings like Michler Place, employees and their families seldom left.
At least two of the homes’ original owners were journalists: Joseph McFarland, Washington correspondent for Forney’s Press, and William Copeland of the New York Journal of Commerce. The dwellings also housed officers stationed at the new State, War and Navy Building, known today as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which can be seen from 1777 F Street NW’s 8th floor terrace.
About the Architecture
Michler Place was a row of thirteen residences constructed as a single unit designed in the Second Empire style, with plain brick facades ornamented with cast iron detailing. The units were arranged with end and center pavilions, with the center pavilion consisting of three houses, the two connecting wings consisting of four houses each, and the end pavilions each containing one house. The Second Empire style, or the “General Grant” style, had reached the heights of its popularity in the United States during Grant’s presidency. The structure included a “Mansard” roof, allowing for additional attic space without the visible (hence taxable) additional story, as well as mass-produced architectural components. The catalogs offering these ornaments gave even the most modest structures the possibility of sophisticated decoration.
Evolution and Preservation
As downtown DC became less residential, its buildings became increasingly commercial in character. After 1940, the homes at Michler Place were converted for use as offices, beauty shops, dry cleaners, restaurants and liquor stores. Between 1965 and 1972, six of the original row houses were demolished.
On January 18, 1979 , Michler Place was designated as a local District of Columbia landmark.
Though the dwellings were largely demolished in 1980, portions of the facades were preserved and incorporated into the new building, which took the address of 1777 F Street, NW.
Michler Place Today
An international property developer, Grosvenor, owned the building prior to its occupation by the Council on Foreign Relations. The building was originally meant to be leased to the European Union, but circumstances intervened. In 2009, after an extensive renovation, the building reopened as the Council on Foreign Relations’ new D.C. headquarters.
1777 F Street NW incorporates two previously existing buildings: the Victorian-style townhouse built in 1871 and a modern concrete and glass building built in 1981. The project was led by the architecture and design firm Mancini Duffy and managed by Mark G. Anderson Consultants. Construction of the building began in November 2007 and was completed in December 2008.
