President Lincoln’s Cottage- Washington, DC

Tucked away in quiet corner of D.C., only 3 miles from the White House, sits President Lincoln’s Cottage. The quaint Gothic Revival, originally built for a bank president, is the centerpiece of several stunning historic structures located at the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

Constructed in 1842 as a country estate for George Washington Riggs, founder of Riggs National Bank, the property was purchased in 1851 by the Government for use as the United States Military Asylum. Money for the purchase was provided by General Winfield Scott, who collected $150,000 from the residents of Mexico City after his victory there during the Mexican-American War; a tribute paid by the residents to spare their city from from being pillaged.

Although the first soldiers resided in the cottage itself, space quickly became an issue. Overseen by Lt. Barton S. Alexander, construction of several houses and a large dormitory began in 1852. Modeled after Renwick’s Norman Gothic Smithsonian Castle, Scott Hall’s opening in 1857 prompted General Scott to invite President James Buchanan to make the asylum his summer residence. Buchanan accepted, moving into the Gothic Revival Quarters 2.

In 1862, Lincoln continued the tradition, spending June to November at the Riggs Cottage, commuting daily to the Capitol on horseback. During his first summer at the Cottage, Lincoln drafted the Emancipation Proclamation. Following Lincoln’s assassination, President Johnson declined use of the house. The Cottage was then used as the Soldiers’ Home (a name it adopted in 1859) hospital until 1876.

In 1877, Rutherford B. Hayes returned to the Cottage, followed by Chester A. Arthur, who stayed there while the Executive Mansion was being restored. Arthur’s short stay in the Fall of 1882 marked the last time a president lived at the Soldiers’ Home. The property continued to expand however, including the 1905 Administration Building and 1910 Grant Hall, both built in the Italian Renaissance style.

The Soldiers’ Home campus was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973, with the Cottage receiving National Monument status by President Clinton in 2000. In 2007, the Cottage was restored to its 1860s appearance by The National Trust. Retired and disabled veterans still reside on site, with several of the historic buildings currently being converted for future residential use, including the Grant Building.