Codman-Davis House

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Built between 1906 and 1907, this four-story, red brick Neoclassical residence is the work of nationally renowned architect Ogden Codman. The Codman-Davis House is a significant Washington residence of the turn of the century, noted for the formality and monumental exterior and interior design.

Still maintained in excellent condition, the house is a notable example of the Neoclassical Revival, popular among the rich at the time of the house's construction. This tasteful design is a well-conceived composition based on late-18th-century French domestic architecture. Built in the fashionable residential area of Dupont Circle, the mansion possesses an unusual forecourt paved in brick and enclosed by handsome iron gates.

The three occupants of the residence—namely Martha Codman, Dwight David, and the members of the Louise Home—all contributed significantly to the cultural and social life of the District of Columbia. The residence was commissioned by Martha Codman (1856-1948), the heiress to a prominent Boston clipper ship family. During the spectacular age of elegance in Washington from 1870 to 1930, when the nation's capital became the winter Newport of America, hundreds of newly-rich Western industrialists and miners as well as long-established families from the northeastern seaboard built second houses in Washington. The Codman-Davis home was one of these and entertained many of the same set.

DC Inventory: June 7, 1979
National Register: October 11, 1979
Within Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District