The Causeway (Washington, D.C.)

The Causeway
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	3029 Klingle Road, NW, Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°55′54″N 77°3′40″W / 38.93167°N 77.06111°WCoordinates: 38°55′54″N 77°3′40″W / 38.93167°N 77.06111°W
Built	1912
Architect	Charles A. Platt
Architectural style	Colonial Revival Georgian Revival
NRHP Reference #	90000910
Added to NRHP	June 28, 1990[1]

The Causeway, also known as the Tregaron, is a country house estate located in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Northwest, Washington, D.C.. The estate was designed by Charles A. Platt and constructed in 1912. The original occupants, the Parmelees, lived at the estate from its construction until 1940. From 1940 to 1958 it was occupied by Joseph E. Davies, who had served as the ambassador for the United States to Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Soviet Union and his second wife Post Cereal Company heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. Today the estate is occupied by a campus for the Washington International School ^[2] and the Tregaron Conservancy.

The entire estate totals 20.5 acres (83,000 m²) and a number of buildings in addition to the mansion including a carriage house, greenhouse, gardener's residence, and a Russian-style dacha, added during Ambassador and Mrs. Davies' years at the estate. In addition to the different architectural styles present in the estate, it is also notable for its landscape architecture. Architect Charles A. Platt utilized the natural characteristics in designing the estate; the mansion sits at the highest point and provides views of the city to the south, and the affluent Cleveland Park suburb to the north.^[3] Landscape features include bridges and retaining walls constructed of stone. Mostly notably, stone retaining walls line either side of the drive way as it enters the estate, and a large stone bridge which carries the driveway over a small stream, the causeway, serves as namesake of the property.^[4]

The mansion is a two-story brick building in the Georgian style. In addition to the primary, central block of approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) by 170 feet (52 m), to the east is a one-story octagonal conservatory, and to the west is a two-story service wing, though not as tall as the central block.^[5] Additions performed in 1941 by the Davies included small additions to the service wing and other aesthetic improvements. Further revisions in the early 1980s were undertaken to convert the estate into a school.^[6] In 1945 the Davies added a dacha, a Russian country home, to the estate. The dacha provides a view of Washington National Cathedral.^[5] A farmhouse dating to 1890 sits at the edge of the estate and was converted to office space for the International School. A schoolhouse building was constructed in 1988 and designed to complement the existing buildings.^[7]

Notes

1. "Causeway, The". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
2. Registration Form, pg. 3
3. Registration Form, pgs. 2–3
4. Registration Form, pg. 6
5. Registration Form, pg. 15
6. Registration Form, pg. 7
7. Registration Form, pg. 16

References

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - The Causeway (pdf), National Park Service. Retrieved September 10, 2010.