' %''f.^^'j' "\'?^'^^* ^--y^r^'o^^' ^. I* '^t- 4.*^ /x -J ►/ ^"^ •*;?■ ».^ \. *^^^'\0 r .."•. .M* .»•. 3^ DlSTRlCTCOLV/nBlA r. 1,. 123 1'-1734 A, .- -^-- - HISTORIC CORNER IN A HISTORIC CITY. _ 1 i ~ 1 ^' ■ 1 r 1 ■>r^Tt. ■ ir >r.*H 1 c - "1 J KHY TO DIAGRAM. ArUn;;l(,"luna; Wil- liam IC. Cuiiis, (.'liiel oi AU-Amcncrts bureau. -•(1. Cummodore Morris, j;. James Madison ; Mrs. .Madisua ; Com- mudore Wilkes; (icn. McClellan ; Cosmub fMub. .'6. William Wiiidom, Secrelar)- -of the 'Ircasur) . -iy. Ciil. Robert ("i. In^ersoU; Sen.itor l'"tii- loii. jO. Admiral Pauldin^'; Sen.itor l)o;i ( .uu- eroM. (I. ilenryC"la\ ; John ( '. * .uliMiin ; W.isli- in{,'tc)a (."lub; Wnh.un II. sAvard ; James Ci. Hlainc X A HISTORIC CORNER IN A HISTORIC CITY. ■Jflrtt ' NEW YORK ENGRAVING & PRINTING CO. New Vukk. Wa$hingtoniana -t-CT«5<^W Copjrn'tfhted 1890, BV T. K. KuKSSLK. -7 39-51549 LAFAYFTTE PARK. A l.lHOUCin but ;i tL-iilury <'ld, tli'-' ^'»^" .rccu paiallcloiiraiu l>cl«cen the Wliilc Houso^nJ the A.lini;ton llwKl luis undcnial.ly tl.e most uuccslin^ hislory of any localuy ,„ .he United States. At the time ul the Kevululion it was an insij-nilicant part of l)a^ id Hurn,'s larm, but ,n .yyo, wl>en Preside... Washington selected the site lor the I'.xe.utive Mansion, he deluicd the boundaries of Lafayette I'ark opi-osite- -even thus earlv givmg to it the nan,e of his illustrious friend. l,oni;l)efore the ISritisli soldiers tramped over it on their way to burn the White House in ,8m, the political grandees of the Umd had begun t., bu.ld their homes around this bltle park, and in every sueceeding decade the must famous leaders in Cabinet and Senate, in war and diplo- macy, have ranged themselves ni.on its border. S The accompanying plan (Frontispiece) con- veys some i^ea of its distinction in recording tlie names oi the personages who reside or who liave resided around the three avaihible sides o( this verdant and Ijeautiful atrium of the White House. Where tlie main body of the ArUngton Hotel now stands there were three stately residences. One was occupied by William L. Marcy, Secre- tary of AWir under President I'olk and Secretary of State under President Pierce, and when he retired he was succeeded in this and the adjoining house by the Secretary of State under Puclianan, Lewis Cass, who, like Marcy, had i>reviously held the war portfolio. In the third mansion, but recently sujjcrseded by the noble extension of the hotel up Vermont Avenue, dwelt Reverdy John- son, minister to England, and there Presidents Buchanan and Harrison were entertained prior to their inauguration, and there Patti, Henry Irving, President Diaz of Mexico, King Kalakaua, Dom Pedro and Poulanger found that luxurious seclu- sion which sovereigns and artists seek. ^. 7 Tlie H-slrcet front of the liotcl consists of a union of tlic former residences of Charles Sumner and Senator Pomeroy, the windtnvs look- ing directly upon the White House. President Cleveland went from these rooms to his inaugur- ation. The great double mansion adjoining, on H street, was built by Matthew St. Clair Clarke, long Clerk of the House of Representatives, and afterwards it became the home of the British \egation. Here lived Sir Bulwer Lytton and his not less famous son and secretary, **Owen Meredith," now Lord Lytton, who wrote here his most celebrated poem, ** Lucile." In later years the house was occu^jied by Lord Ashburton, who, witii Daniel Webster assisted by Feather- stonhaugh drafted the " Ashburton treaty " which defined ors, Col. John llav, l.uwoln's secretary, and his lut.uedtate ne.ghl.or, Henry \dams, ijrundson of John Quincy .\dan,s. In the next house long lived Senator Slidell bclore l>e was confederate An.bassador to France ; its present owner is Walter A. Wood, a well known inventor and manufacturer. Q!»y *. .'v -i' *i3f''-j^v v^'^r^^ 7'-'^''"'" *r^'^^ DANIEL WEBbTtR'S HOUSE. ^ The corner house immediately adjoining tliat of SHdell was owned and occupied by Daniel Webster during tlie whole period when he was Secretary of State, and it afterwards became the home of the ])hilanthropist, William Corcoran, who, during the Civil War, rented it to M. Montholon, the French minister to this Capital. On the opposite corner, as shown in frontis- piece, is the residence of Admiral Shubrick, and 'M tim t i ri li t i mi'mii'i^li i ^i ' i t ■^-■'-'^ ■»:v-.ti^-.»— .^ . THE BANCROFT HOUSE. contiguous to it the present homes of Judge Bancroft Davis, diplomat, and the distinguished historian, George Bancroft. )0 Facing the northwest corner of Lafayette Park, and diagonally ojjposite to the residence of Daniel Webster, is the antuiiu.% solid double house which Commodore Decatur built after the war of 1812 and in which he died m 1820, on returning from his duel at Bladensburg. After Decatur's death, the house was successively occupied by Henrv Clay; Martin Van Ikiren, Vice-President ; Kdward Livingston, Jackson's Secretary of State ; George M. Dallas, Vice- President ; Senatc.r Judah P. Benjamin, after- wards Attorney-Ceneral, Secretary of War and Secretary of Suite of the Confederacy; and hnally Gen. P>eale, whose guest Gen. Grant has been' for weeks at a time. \'an liuren had the window cut in the suuih wall of this house in order that he might see the signals displayed by Jackson from the White House. ' Almost all of the other eleven houses on the west side of the park have been occupied by distinguished officials ; the one which is now the winter home of Washington McLean, of the // Cincinnati I']ntjuiret\, having successively shcllcicil the families of Secretary Levi Woodbury, of Van Buren's Cabinet ; Secretary John C. Spent er, of Tyler's Cabinet ; i^Kiw. Sickles, M. C, and Vice- President Colfax. THE VAN BUREN-DECATUR HOUSE. Directly oi)posite Arlinj^ton, across \'^eniiont Avenue, is the small two-story house, now a nest of business offices, where for many years lived that fighting officer, Commodore Morris, who commanded the Pensacola before New Orleans, showing the same energy that his grandfather. /^ Robert Morris, showed, wlien as Washington's finance otlicer, he made the Revolution a success. In the house numbered 19 on the Fruntis- picn e luive dweU several distinguished people. There lived for years Major Rathbone and his wife, wlio sat in the theatre box by Abraliam Limuln\-> hide when he was .lain, and whose sub- seiiueiu lite is tocj sad to be recalled. Diagonally opposite the Arlington, is the home ot the Cosmos, the largest scienlhic chib in the world, in the great mastic building erected bv James Madison, when, in 1801, he came lo Washington and served as J eUeison's Secretary ut Slate till he was elected President. 'ihither, twenty years later, "Dolly" Madison returned, alter her husband's death, and there lor hfteen years she held court and dispensed, during the remainder uf a sunny life, a gracious hospitality. It afterwards became the residence of Admiral Wilkes, when Slidell, whom he was soon to take oh a lirlllsli ship on the high seas, lived within a btone's throw. /3 In the next two houses have dwelt Secretary Windoui, Senator Fenton and Col. Robert G. IngersoU ; and in the next below, Admiral Paulding, a son of that obstinate soldiec, John Paulding, who captured Major Andre. The ;**^J Ji ON THE EAST SIDE OF LAFAYETTE PARK. house was built by Ogle Taylor and is now owned and occupied by Senator Don Cameron. The only remaining house on the st^uare is ut all the most famous. It was originally the elite boarding-house of Washington, and numbered among its guests John C. Calhoun, when he was /^ Jackson's Secretary of V/ar and Vice-President, and Henry ("lay, when he was Adams's Secretary of State ; then it became the property of the celebrated Washington Club, and the place where assembled the rich and influential young men of fhc Capital ; Sickles and Key were both members, and the tragedy which associates their names took place in front of its door ; later it became the War resid- ence of Secretary Seward, and there the deadly assault w.is made upon him by the assassin, Payne ; lastlv, it has been renovated for tiie home of James (.1. Blaine, the liiird Se( rctary of Stale who has dwelt within its walls and the seventh who lias lived upon the park ' This remarkable square might /•^^properly be christened Cabinet Park, tor around it have lived, at iliiYerent times, members of the ofticial families of seventeen Presidents. IS It is fit that in this liistoric heart of the Cun- tiiieiu — this rendezvous o( the master! ul men ut" tlie RcpubUc — there sliuuld be a house of enter- tainment of correspondinj^ magnitude and excel- lence. F(jr even the loftiest statesmanship is impotent to accomplish results witliout tlie support of an adequate cuisine. With the beefsteak tliat bears his name the great Chateaubriand was able to regain the confidence and friendship of his king, Louis Philippe. It was because he insisted on dining before fighting that Pompey won the hnal \ictory over Spartacus. And in that opinion of the importance of dinners, PucuUus and Shaksi)eare and Owen Meredith concurred. A dinner in the Palais Royale of Paris, timorously organized by the Duke of Wellington, was suf- ficient to dissuade Bliicher from blowing up the bridge of Jena. " I must and will blow it up ! " growled old " Vorwarts " over his ]jis([ue soup. *' 1 must blow it up!" he said as he finished his ragout. But when he had got to his parfait au cafe and his third glass of cham[>agne and was /^ lighting his meerschaum, he convulsively seized the Duke's hand ami cried "Mem Gott ! never vos sucli a dinner before. I will not blow up the bridge of Jena ! " Dinners so anoint the wheels of life that they are uf primary importance. Since Roessle ^: Son "= opened the Arlington m 1870, ii has been a surprising and continuous success, until, to render it adecpiate for the service rcquued, an enormous addition has been made, giving a frontage of 315 feet on Vermont Avenue, stretching from Lafayette Scpiare to McPherson Square, besides the ample frontage on II and I Streets. Notwithstanding the spaciousness of this addition, only a hundred new rooms have been constructed, but for size and sumptuousness they might all be called " bridal chambers." Each one • ^s early as 184^ Mr. TUcoplulus Roessle opened the Delevan House at Albany, and later assuc.at.ng lus son w.th ^^^^J^^^^' LhedArhn.ton Hotel at Waslungtun and the Fort W.lUa.n Henry Hotel at Lake George. The firm carried the three houses ui enterta.nment from a humble beg-nninK to a notable success and placed them beyond the reach of r.vals. when the son F R. Roessle, bou.-ht all of h.s father's interests and .s now sole pro- priclor and inanayer. /7 is 17 X 22 feet S([uare, and provided with a siiperl) l)atIi-r()oin and a dressing-room with luxurious cciuipmcnts. But il is decidedly the parhjr floor that gi\es tone and character to the house. There has never Itcfore been an\- place in Washington en- tirely suitable for large receptions. The White House has a spacious and stately East Room, hut the otliLM- parlors are much smaller and stiller in arrangement than the splendid suit of drawing- rooms just o[)ened at the Arlington. One of these oil the WMinont Avenue front is finished in the delicate and beautiful stvle of Louis (^uatoize, and all of theui can easily be thrown together in one vast stretch of floor. The old dining-room, doubled in size, will continue to serve as the regular dining-n^om of the r^ hotel, while the new dining- '(,' room will be usetl for Kite breakfasts aiid for tea but will be chieflv' in /r re(iuisJtion for receptions, bnn(inets, etc. Some of tlie })arlors, on oc.< asions of exigency, will also l)e a[)]^ropriate(l for the same purpose. The new part of the hotel is all finished in hard woods, and is furnished wiih solid .elegance, at on( c esliieti( ally and suital.ly. Nut less than $400, ceo have been cxi)ended here this year in order to give the Capital of liic country a hotel commensurate with its highest taste and adequate to its largest needs. The site of this addition, as has l)een already hinted, is historic. The dining-room of the Johnson house was the ])rivate din- ing- rooiij of the Arlington. The I'lrst Ohinet dinner of President Arthur's administration was given here ^ l)v rostUKistcr-deneral James. Se( rctarv l>hiine's dmner to the ]'"ren( h Centennial visitors to "Sorktown was given here, also the Mexican Minister's dinner i- '< If to President Diaz. The banquets given by Hon. Josei>li Chaniljerlain during liis official stay at his Capital were so brilliant as to be events in gastronomy, proclaiming the distinguished guest an accomplished discij)le of Apiciiis. His colleacrues, the American Commissioners, Hon. W. L. Putnam and Hon. James B. Angell, also dined here epicureally. This first dinner to Mr. Chamberlain being an orchid dinner, in celebra- tion of their guest's well-known floral preference, it was the greatest display of orchids ever made at a dinner. The Summer House annex is much sought by guest.;. Here Senator Hiscock makes his per- manent home with his famil\', under the room where Charles Sumner died. Here many dis- tinguished statesmen have iived. Here the dusky queen, Kapiolani, with her dusky suite, abided luxuriously. Here Hon. Charles Hall, M. P., and his famous colleagues representing F.ngland in the International Marine Conference, were lodged during their sojourn in Washington, and here they gave notable dinners. 2 The new addition to the liotel was formally opened l.y Secretary IJIaine's reception to the delegates to the International American ConL^ress, March 29, 1S90. The occasion was memorable. All Spanish America was present by proxy. The entire maiine band discoursed sweet music. Over a iliousand i^uests »vere present, and the great parlors showed that they could receive a vast crowd and yet not be cnjwded. When the feast ended it was remarked that the tables lookeil as if it was just about to begin. The ban(piet given iiere by Mr. Andrew Carnegie excited great comment on account of its symmetrical ^^^1 ranee lioni a skilleil artist in ^S^^yi ^ -y ;^S tlower.^. Tlie points ot tlie star were J^^, Mm ^^/ ' 12 lu 20 feet lonu; and radiated from ^J-Jti^:^^/^^ an oval i entre, 14 ^' 1 «S feet. Down .y^^ the nntidle of eacli table ran a belt of nuiiden-liair ferns, alternating with ba^ket^> of cbioiee roses, lending to the scene a varicl\- of undulating loveliness. In the t entre of the eolobsal siar stood a superb palm whose graceful leaves were hung with garlands reminding the hosts of their tropical homes. Beneath the jjalm was a mound of hundreds of pure white Mabel-Morrison roses, while the [)oinls were comi)osed of 500 Jaccpienhnols imparting to the heart of the star a richness of color and vividness of contrasts seldom allained in such extensive decoration. Each inverted irian£,le between the points was a minia- ture garden of maiden-hair ferns, with a cluster of ^5 American beauties in each centre, and a wide border of sycc)iH)diLun extending entirely around. The two ihousantl roses were used iiere, and the .^^ 15 boulonniers were a jacciue bud and hUes ot ^ the vallev. Ivu h corner and each window re- cess of the great l)anciuct hall presented stately groups oi palms, ferns, a/aleas and liydrangeas, and the walls were liung with gigantic rosettes ^ of palm leaxes. 'llie urcnestra balcony, m addi- tion to other decorations and emblem^, bore three entwined wrealliSiW laurel, each beaiin;-;, in immur- telles, the w.ird *' Amer- ica." This interweaving of three Americas was I -^^ em[)haslzed before huge f^ loser's kncn <>f broad red, while and blue ribbons. J 'i'his hajipy inspiration, expressive of fraternity and good will, originated a.-¥ wiih Uv. Ho.nero, the Mexican minister. The entire cUnner was served in less than two luu.rs. The service was on phuiers a la Ku.se, and each dish was elaborately ornamented and what is quite a^ inii)urtant, hot. 'l-l.c wedding l.reaklabt ,uul icccpuun allcnding ll,c nui.l.als ,.t Ihe liarou Zcdw.t., ll.c German Minislcr lu Mexico, and Mi^.s Caldwell, look place inthencu l.adiesTarlors, injime. All of the Ulplon.auc Corps were l-resent, in their court costunK-^, and made a i.ictures.ine tableau, sur- ,„undcd, a, ihcv were, l.y beautiful llower., the eUect heightened l.v subdued light. It was at noon, and all of the blind, were closed, ev lud- „,.. anvlhing that might suggest a glare. Ihe NHruK- band, whn h played -hroughout, was rationed in the furthest parlor and entuely hidden nou, view by a ,.erfec. scree,, ol pahns decked with bU.mnng l.lan.s. It was a charnuug si..l,t I'hc cntne surroundings, guests, decura- uons, table, aU simply working up to the beam.fu: „ieuire presented by the Ihide and Crootu as tlie\ received the congratulations of tiie:/ frienus in a nook or l)o\ver rom|)osed of flowers. A handsomer couple it would be difficult to find ; he in his court uniform and she in her bride's ^;own. It was the first wedding the "New" Arlington hns known. It will li\e a long lime in the re( ollc' tion of those fortunate enough to ha\ e seen it. The following are copies of the Menus of four of llie dinners served during the i)ast winter: C^^^ v/,1]l p ;! ■ ► > M ill -•<■ 1^ W\ ^7 MENU. CAVIARE ON TOAST, BLUE POINTS ON SHELL. CONSOMME A LA FINANCIERE. ANCHOVIES. SALTED ALMONDS, OLIVES. RADISHES. KENNEBEC SALMON A LA REGENCE. CUCUM3ERS. POTATOES GASTRONOME. CAPONS A LA CHIPOLATA. DIAMOND-BACK TERRAPIN, ARLINGTON STYLE. LALLA ROOKH PUNCH. WOODCOCKS, BARDED, SUR CANAPE. FRIED HOMINY, ASPARAGUS, COLD, VINAIGRETTE DRESSING. BABA AUX RUM, FRUIT SAUCE, ICE CREAM NAPOLITAINE, FRUITS COFFEE, CIGARS. W I N I-, S . CHATEAU VQUEM, 1R61, BHANDENBURG rRF.RES. IMPERIAL SHfRRY, CHATEAU LA ROSE, 1R74, BRANDENBURO fRFRFS. LOUIS ROOERER, GRAND VIN SEC. LOUIS ROOERER, CARTE RLANCHE. CHATEAU MARCAUX, llifi'l. nuANOENOURG TRERCs. LIQUEURS. Cbc lirlmiiton. T"E Lati-j Ak'i.ricak .if. "tUlaabiniUoii, D. C. To Thl .•Frr-'oc. April ti, 'y«, BHANOtMCtHG FRERES. CL06 OE VOUGEOT' UHUNINliHAOa. &AM WARUS. CbC UlllHiJtOa, W/,-. 0. A. u.'!.^LO'A. lUadbllUJton, ©. C. December n, iSSy. 31 •ASKTWrTONIAM T. E. ROESSLE, PROPRIETOR. .5<^ H 1 1 V*^^ ^ ^^^^^. ^ov^ -'d3li^^^\ ^^^r!i ^'^^WSX^ V^*-^^^ .^'\ ♦ ,0 % - H 'V.<^ «* *-y iECKMAN j±r| 11^* ^^ "^^ IINDERY INC. ^ DEC 89 N. MANCHESTER, ^AO^