Divorce, the Duchess, and Dupont Circle
Laura Humphreys spent two months writing a report on the International Headquarters in Washington DC for the Historic American Buildings Survey as part of a Masters Degree at the Ironbridge Institute in the United Kingdom.
Walking down New Hampshire Avenue towards the Eastern Star International Headquarters for the first time is quite an experience. It is a strange building, occupying a whole triangular city block with blind windows, strange angles and Beaux-Arts flourishes on every spare inch of stone. It lights up like a majestic riverboat sailing towards Dupont circle in the night, leaving much more ordinary buildings (with much more ordinary histories) in its wake.
It was built between 1907-1909 for Perry Belmont, a former Congressman and Ambassador to Spain. During his tenure as Ambassador, Belmont lived at the American Embassy in Madrid, which was designed by the acclaimed Beaux-Arts architect Paul-Ernest Sanson. Sanson’s work obviously made an impression; in 1906 Perry persuaded him to design his first American commission (one of only two) at 1618 New Hampshire Ave NW.
Sanson never travelled to America; he instead entrusted his plans to Horace Trumbauer and Associates, a firm already famous for its magnificent residential commissions in New York, Rhode Island and DC. Trumbauer’s chief designer, Julian Abele (1881 – 1950) was Beaux-Arts trained, and it’s believed that the International Headquarters is his work. Abele was the first African-American to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania’s Academy of Fine Arts, and an incredible architect by any standards. Having worked in an era of strict segregation, his achievements stand out all the more as the work of a brilliant mind.
The history of the mansion is as unique as its architecture. Perry and Jessie Belmont married on April 28, 1899, only a few hours after Jessie’s divorce from her first husband, Henry Sloane. Jessie and Perry had supposedly been an item for some time, and were even treated as a couple at society functions when her husband was present. However, when the Sloane marriage was formally dissolved, society was far less understanding, and they were hounded out of New York. Having fled to Connecticut to marry (as Jessie was legally prohibited from doing so in New York), they travelled to Washington DC to stay with Perry’s sister, Fredericka. After a short spell in the nation’s capital, they travelled to Europe, spending many months out of every year in Paris.
According to letters written by Perry Belmont to Minnie Keyes (the first Right Worthy Grand Secretary of the General Grand Chapter, OES, to live in the mansion) their original plan had been to build in New York, but even after seven years of marriage, the Belmonts still received a frosty reception from their home town. So, they decided to end their European exile by purchasing a whole city block of prime real estate in Washington DC, and built their way in to a new society.
To their delight the mansion became a landmark, and served an important role in the District. It was the diplomatic headquarters for two Japanese missions in 1910 and 1917, and saw Perry presented with the beautiful needlepoint screen as a gift commemorating his grandfather’s work in securing trade routes to Japan and it is on display in the Treasure Room. The mansion also hosted British and Brazilian missions, and saw future Presidents Taft, Wilson and FDR as guests.
Perhaps its most unusual guest, however, arrived from Britain in 1919. Edward, Prince of Wales was due to visit, but President Wilson was taken ill and could not host the heir to the British throne at the White House. The Secretary of State sent a panicked telegram to Perry Belmont, asking to use his mansion to house the Prince and his retinue. He agreed, and it became the home of the future King Edward VIII for ten days. Perry found the whole thing quite amusing, and remarked to Minnie Keyes that it was very odd to enter his own home as a guest of the future King! The Prince was most grateful, and left a cigarette case and signed photograph as gifts of thanks to his hosts, which remain on display at the International Headquarters.
It is quite possible that the Princes’ visit was significant for more than diplomatic reasons. A lady named Bessie Merryman lived two blocks away, and according to The Evening Independent, her niece was staying with her, and they were amongst the crowds that welcomed the Prince, waving and cheering as he drove through the city. Although he is unlikely to have noticed the future Duchess of Windsor in the thousands-strong crowd, it seems that Wallis Warfield-Spencer-Simpson first laid eyes on her third husband when he visited the most unusual house in Washington.
Footnote – by Alma Lynn Bane, Right Worthy Grand Secretary
A Brief History of the transition from the Belmont Mansion to the International Headquarters for the General Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star
The International Headquarters was originally the Belmont Mansion and was started in 1906 and completed in 1909 at a cost of $1.5 million dollars. The Belmonts resided in the mansion for three months out of the year and that was only during the Social season in the District of Columbia. The Belmonts had five other homes besides the mansion and in 1925 they vacated the mansion never to return again. When the Belmonts closed the door on the mansion, they left all of the furnishings. In 1932, Mr. Belmont returned and held an Auction. The items that did not sell were left and were in the mansion when General Grand Chapter, OES purchased it.
In 1919, at the 16th Triennial Assembly, a resolution was passed that each new member would pay a $1.00 life time payment towards the building of an Eastern Star Headquarters (in 1967 this was modified to state “Once-in-a-life-time” to each chapter to which a member belongs). In 1935 when Sister Frances Haun was Most Worthy Grand Matron, we had accumulated $300,000.00. She appointed a committee to look into either purchasing ground to build or purchase an already erected building that we could use as our headquarters. The mansion had sat empty since 1925. The real estate agent that we contracted with knew this building was vacant and showed it to us. Negotiations were started and in 1935 we purchased the building for $100,000.00. The One Hundredth Anniversary of the Building was celebrated in September 2009 with a reception with over 400 in attendance.