Temporary White House (1814 -15), AIA HQ (1898-1970), and one of the US's first preservation projects. Completed in 1801 for John Tayloe III of Mount Airy, VA and his wife Ann Ogle Tayloe, and designed by William Thornton, the original architect of the U.S. Capitol, the Octagon is one of the most significant and elegant buildings to remain standing from the early federal city. The Octagon served a
s the temporary White House for the Madisons after the British burned Washington in 1814 during the War of 1812. After the Tayloe family moved out in 1855, the house served as a girls' school, the offices of the US Hydrographic Office, an a tenement apartment building. Finally, in 1898, the American Institute of Architects selected the building to be their national headquarters, and they continued to use the building as such until 1970. Today, the Octagon is operated as a museum by the AIA Foundation, and features guided and self-guided tours, changing exhibitions, and public programing. The Octagon will reopen to the public beginning May 19th! The Museum will be open Thursday-Saturday from 11am-4pm. Museum admission is $10/adult, $5/children and teens under 18, and free for children under 5. Free guided tours will be offered at 11am and 3pm (roughly 45 mins) and are included with museum admission. Information on self-guided tours is available at our front desk. To purchase tickets in advance, please visit https://architectsfoundation.networkforgood.com/events/41116-visit-the-octagon
