When trying to write my last Looking Back post, I couldn’t find an interesting, great building to write about — so I decided to do a Looking Back post on the last 8 months or some of Looking Back posts.

A grand, still-standing mansion on 16th Street in Dupont Circle was in the news this week as ANC 2B voted against the Republic of the Congo’s request to designate it as a embassy chancery. After reading about the current state of the building, I was naturally curious about its past.