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The distinctive neighborhood of Sheridan-Kalorama - home of five Presidents and of much of Washington’s diplomatic community - began to develop at the turn of the century. It was the plan to build the two bridges across Rock Creek Valley at both Massachusetts Avenue and the extended portion of Connecticut Avenue which spurred the building boom that took place during the first decade of the 20th Century. Only those persons who could afford the luxury of a horse-drawn carriage resided in the area; therefore the new American elite were attracted to and able to reside in the area.
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Pieta, by Marcel Guguianu
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The Embassy of Romania is an excellent example of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture, so popular in Washington at that time. In 1907, Frank Ellis, a Manhattan attorney, commissioned the famous firm of Carrère and Hastings from New York to design a mansion on the corner of Sheridan Circle and 23 rd Street, which was to become, in 1921, the Embassy of Romania. Carrère and Hastings’s design carefully combines a fine French style inspired by Parisian townhouses of the Louis XV and Louis XVI period with English elements of a later era. Among the more important works designed by the firm are the Manhattan Bridge in New York City (1905), the Carnegie Institute in Washington, D.C., the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. the Frick Residence in New York City, the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington Cemetery, and the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C.
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Crossing the threshold, visitors enter the foyer. The rather restrained architecture of this space – the use of stone and limited decoration – was highly influenced by Eighteenth Century French precedents, with some hints of Seventeenth Century English Palladian work. The straight and simple lines of the stonework are compensated by two flamboyant 18 th century Spanish chairs, and a marble table in the style of Italian palace furnishings.
Both reception rooms on the first floor, although very different, are influenced by French tradition. Two Ionic columns frame the door of the small meeting room on the left, which displays a Louis XV influence. White boiserie has Rococo shell-motif decorations, while over door paintings depict rustic scenes in the manner of Fragonard.
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The White Salon
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The reception room to the right from the foyer harmoniously mixes different periods and styles: the rather architectural window-surrounds suggest the work of Jacques-Ange Gabriel at the Petit Trianon in Versailles; the mammoth stone fireplace mantel has the look of a Victorian English piece, while the simple wallpaper pattern of vertical stripes alternating with floral strings suggests designs from the early decades of the Nineteenth Century in Russia. Prominently visible in this room is one of the several distinctive chandeliers found in the Embassy.
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The Ambassador’s study
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Visitors may be surprised by the unusual shape of the 18th Century French style ironwork of the grand stair, which leads to the second floor foyer – used as a waiting room and a reception area – to the Ambassador’s study and to the ballroom. With its dark stained paneling and pilasters flanking the fireplace, the study suggests an English library. Yet French influences can be found in the fireplace mantel and carved over door panels with Louis XV decorative motifs. The furnishings of this room, with turned legs, bold carvings and leather seats have a distinctive Romanian feel.
On the opposite side of the waiting room, the ballroom displays elements of late Louis XV and early Louis XVI style. A handsome crystal Art Nouveau chandelier is reflected by symmetrical mirrors placed on three of the walls. Other focal points of the room are a magnificent Louis-Philippe commode, as well as a white marble fireplace and sculptures by Marcel Guguianu.
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The first occupant of the house was Navy Colonel Robert Means Thompson, an ardent supporter of the Navy League of the United States, who served several years as its president. When he left the house in 1921, Frank Ellis sold it to the Romanian Government represented by the Minister of the Legation, Prince Antoine Bibesco.
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Romania established the legation in the United States in 1918, soon after the reunification of all Romanian principalities on December 1, 1918. The first ministers exercised their functions in the Shoreham Hotel, and then in the Wardman Park Inn. After the First World War, Romania became a significant regional player in European politics and the diplomatic relations with the United States blossomed. Distinguished diplomats, such as Andrei Popovici, grandson of Civil War general of Romanian descent Gheorghe Pomutz, served Romanian interests in that period.
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The Strategic Location of Romania in Europe
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Queen Mary of Romania on the balcony of the Legation, 1926
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At the same time the Romanian Legation was well known in Washington for the sophisticated receptions given by the successive ministers. It became the place to be for the high society of the city when Queen Mary of Romania stayed at the Legation while visiting the American capital in October 1926.
With the outset of the Cold War, relations between the two countries deteriorated. Mihai Magheru, the first Minister sent to Washington after the Second World War, was coolly greeted by President Truman. However, in 1946, when a terrible famine struck the eastern region of Romania, the United States generously offered aid. In order to express the heartfelt gratitude of the Romanian people, Queen Hellen sent to President Truman a centuries-old icon representing Virgin Mary. It is said that the Truman family had a special attachment to the icon and kept it in their home until death. The icon is at present displayed in the Truman Presidential Library, in Independence, Missouri.
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Diplomatic relations between Romania and the United States declined in the period of communist rule in Romania (1947 - 1989). The Embassy’s functions were accomplished by a reduced staff, and the Embassy’s building provided both office and accommodation for the diplomats.
After 1989, the relations with the United States changed dramatically, and an increasingly successful cooperation began. The Embassy indirectly witnessed a milestone in bilateral relations: the establishment of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States, on July 9, 1997, on the occasion of the visit to Romania of President Clinton. The building has thereafter seen a steady and open cooperation developing in the areas of foreign policy, economy, academia and culture.
As official and people-to-people contacts expanded, a growing number of Romanians come to the Embassy, their home abroad. Every year around Christmas time, the old building is graced by the playful smiles of Romanian and American children.
