Washington’s movers and shakers once strolled the streets of Dupont Circle, where Massachusetts Avenue was the city’s most fashionable residential address. Heiresses, industrial magnates, newspaper tycoons, and members of the political elite built opulent mansions along the avenue, all to impress Washington society. After the Great Depression, many of these magnificent mansions were converted into embassies, social clubs, and offices. Presenter Carolyn Muraskin offers stories of the capital’s ruling class and their links to the history of Washington’s premier promenade.
Highlighted locations include Dupont Circle; the Embassy of Indonesia (Walsh-McLean House), Alice’s Palace (home of Alice Roosevelt Longworth); the Society of the Cincinnati (Anderson House); the Turkish Ambassador’s residence (Edward Everett Mansion); the Embassy of Latvia (Alice Pike Barney Studio House); the Hobbit House (Edward Lind Morse Studio), and the Phillips Collection.
Muraskin is the founder of DC Design Tours, which offers historical tours of Washington focused on architecture, urban planning, and design.
Additional Program Opportunity on Zoom: Carolyn Muraskin will also be part of a program called America's Main Street: Pennsylvania Avenue on August 16, 2023 to share more Washington, DC history.
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