William L. Slayton House (and Interior)
Located in Cleveland Park, the William L. Slayton House is one of the few houses designed by I.M. Pei.
Text
Designed in the International Style, the William L. Slayton House is one of only three houses known to have been designed by world-renowned architect I.M. Pei. Pei, primarily a corporate architect but best known for municipal buildings and art museums, consented in 1959 to design a house for his friend and colleague Slayton, who was an active part of the Southwest urban renewal project.
The house was completed in 1960 and features a triple-vault, poured-in-place concrete roof as its most distinguishing feature. The front and rear elevations are all glass, resulting in a house that is largely transparent and open in plan. The Slayton House is significant not only for its architecture but also for its structure. The poured-in-place concrete arched roof was an important technological innovation, and its use in the Slayton House still represents one of its few applications in the United States.
DC Inventory: May 22, 2008
National Register: October 2, 2008
Within Cleveland Park Historic District