Margaret Wetzel House, The George Washington University
This historic home has been utilized by The George Washington University since 1931.
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Originally constructed as a home for Margaret Wetzel in the mid-1850s, this Italian Renaissance Revival style home is an architectural landmark representative of DC’s urban development. As one of the last remaining free-standing homes in Foggy Bottom, the Wetzel House echoes the early history of the area as a fashionable neighborhood in the 1800s. The three-story home has fine proportions and a detailed façade that includes sandstone accents, molded brick with Greek key motifs, and scroll modillions. Once a residential area, Foggy Bottom transformed through the growth of The George Washington University, which was originally established as Columbian College in 1821, near Florida Avenue, and expanded throughout the 19th century.
In 1912, the once fledgling institution had expanded to include a medical and law school—but financial trouble landed the university in a new area of town: Foggy Bottom. In an era of expansion, the school acquired the Wetzel home in 1931. The building has served as the university’s Faculty Club and Alumni House, and now houses the University Honors Program.
DC Inventory: November 18, 1987
National Register: October 25, 1990
