I was on DuPont Circle on my way to meet the Hayfoot for dinner the other night when, to my great shock, I noticed that the Patterson Mansion is on the selling block. The mansion has been the home of the Washington Club for the past several decades. Apparently the cost of upkeep along with the prospect of a big payout proved too much to resist for the members of the women’s club. And who can blame them? They stand to make $25-$30 million.

Robert and Elinor (Nellie) Patterson built the home at the turn of the twentieth century when DuPont Circle was transforming into the hub of political and social life in the capitol. Stanford White was the architect. In the decade and a half prior to the Great War a great deal of diplomatic work was carried out in houses like this one in settings formal, informal, and semi-formal.

Here are a few pics.