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All the United States Washington, D.C. The Lindens

The Lindens

The oldest house in Washington, D.C. wasn't originally constructed in the nation's capital.

Washington, D.C.

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Jonathan Ward
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The Lindens view from the front.   jward628 / Atlas Obscura User
The Lindens Fire Call Box painting of rebuilding .   jward628 / Atlas Obscura User
The Lindens from the East.   jward628 / Atlas Obscura User
The Lindens from the West.   jward628 / Atlas Obscura User
The Lindens Fire Call Box history.   jward628 / Atlas Obscura User
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Hidden amid the affluent Kalorama neighborhood, home to several political heavyweights, is the oldest home in Washington, DC. However, the house was originally crafted far away from the city. 

Constructed during the 1750s, the home was designed for wealthy shipowner and merchant, Robert Hooper, who went by the nickname "King".  After Hooper lost the house to creditors, it changed hands several times over the next few generations. The house's drawing-room was sold to the Kansas City Museum by a pair of antique dealers who had purchased the home.

Eventually, the entire structure was sold to George and Miriam Morris. The home was then dismantled, labeled, and packed into six railcars to be reassembled in Washington D.C. The task was completed under the watchful supervision of Walter Macomber, a key architect of Colonial Williamsburg. 

While the home has always been in private hands, it has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1969 and is easily seen from the street. 

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The story of the house is marked on one of Washington D.C.'s historic fire department call boxes, at the corner of Kalorama Road NW and 24th Street NW.  

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May 18, 2020

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  • http://sheridankaloramacallbox.org/boxes/art-box05.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lindens_(Washington,_D.C.)
The Lindens
2401 Kalorama Rd NW
Washington, District of Columbia, 20008
United States
38.918174, -77.053501
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