Octagon House facade

Designed by William Thornton (the Capitol’s first architect) in 1800 for one of the largest slave-owners in the state of Virginia, this minimally furnished house museum occupies a symmetrically winged structure designed to fit an odd triangular lot. Its unusual floorplan and clearly delineated spaces for servants and homeowners are curious but there's not much else here to attract visitors.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

2. Department of the Interior Museum

0.17 MILES

Responsible for managing the nation’s natural resources, the Department of the Interior operates this small museum to educate the public about its current…

4. Renwick Gallery

0.22 MILES

Part of the Smithsonian group, the Renwick Gallery is set in a stately 1859 mansion on the same block of Pennsylvania as the White House. It's emerged as…

5. Art Museum of the Americas

0.23 MILES

The Organization of American States operates this small art museum in a separate building on its property. It features changing exhibits of modern and…

6. Lee House

0.23 MILES

Attached to Blair House as part of the official accommodations for the President's overnight guests, this building was built for Robert E Lee’s cousin in…

7. Blair House

0.24 MILES

Together, the 1824 Blair House and adjoining 1858 Lee House have functioned as part of the official presidential guesthouse complex since 1943, when…

8. Organization of American States

0.24 MILES

A forerunner to the UN, the OAS was founded in 1890 to promote cooperation among North and South American nations. Its main building on the corner of…