Historic Holt House - A National Treasure
Holt House, probably built before 1814, is one of the most important Washington examples of the early Classical Revival style and was one of the major houses in Washington when it was built. Its caretaker has been the National Zoo since 1889, but has been left vacant since the 1980’s. It was listed in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites in 1964 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. But with each passing day, it is getting closer and closer to collapsing from neglect.
Holt House is intimately linked to the early history of both Washington, DC and the nation by such its association with such significant figures as Thomas Johnson (close friend of George Washington and first Supreme Court Judge), Benjamin Stoddert (first Secretary of the Navy), John Quincy Adams (6th president of the U.S.), and Andrew Jackson (7th president). There is also compelling evidence suggesting that Dr. William Thornton, the first Architect of the Capital, may have had a hand in its design.
Holt House Today
3D Computerized Restoration
Restoring Holt House: A Forensic Architectural Approach
Based on archival research, existing documentation of changes to the house, historic photographs, stylistic analysis, and physical examinations of clues to changes made to the house over the years, we generated a 3D computerized restoration of Holt House as it may have appeared when it was first constructed. The website site also includes restoration notes documenting decisions in the restoration of the original house (Also See the "Restoration Notes" menu item for each othe the 3D renderings). Download the complete Historic Structure Report (6 MB) for Holt House.
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