George Oakley Totten Jr. (December 5, 1866 – February 1, 1939) was an American architect who was one of the most prolific architects in the Gilded Age in Washington D.C. He designed many mansions that were located primarily on or near Dupont, Sheridan (including Embassy Row), and Kalorama circles and along 16th Street, N.W., near Meridian Hill. Most now serve as embassies, chanceries, or offices for national or international organizations.

Biography

Totten was born in New York City on December 5, 1866, a son of George Oakley and Mary Elizabeth (Styles) Totten and a descendant of John Totten, from whom Tottenville, Staten Island, was named.Encyclopedia of American Biography, Volume 10, 1940, page 562 After receiving his early education at public schools in Newark, New Jersey and the Newark Technical School, he graduated from Columbia University with a Ph.B in 1891 and an A.M. in 1892. He was awarded Columbia's McKim travelling fellowship in 1893, and for the next two years studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and Atelier Daumet-Esquie. He returned to the United States and in 1896, was appointed chief designer in the Office of the Supervising Architect, Department of the Treasury. He continued in that position until 1898, when he established an independent architectural practice in Washington D.C., which he continued until his death.

He was the architect for many public buildings in that city and drew plans for ten legations and embassy buildings, including the Turkish, Polish, Belgian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, and Danish legations, and the former French embassy. He was an advisor when the U.S. Capitol Building was remodelled. He also designed many private city and country dwellings in Washington, including a group of houses in the 2600 block of 16th Street, N.W., representing several styles of architecture. He also designed homes in Vermont and New Jersey. He was architect for a number of government buildings including the post office at Waterbury, Connecticut and the $3 million post office and federal court building at Newark, New Jersey, that opened in 1934.

In 1923, he rescued architect H. H. Richardson's Warder Mansion (1885–88), at 1515 K Street NW, from demolition. He had the stonework and some of the interiors dissassembled, transported them about from downtown to Meridian Hill, and re-erected the building alongside his house for use as apartments.The Warder Mansion from NewColumbiaHeights. The Warder Mansion is the only surviving building by Richardson in Washington, D.C.H. H. Richardson designed four houses in D.C.: the N. L. Anderson House, at 16th & K Streets NW (1881-83, demolished 1925); adjoining houses for Henry Adams and John Hay, at 16th & H Streets NW, (1884-86, demolished 1927); and the Warder House (1885-88). G. Martin Moeller Jr., AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006), pp. 284-85.

He was active in professional architectural associations. From 1897 to 1939, he served as secretary and vice president of the American section of the permanent committee of the International Congress of Architects. During World War I, he served as a major with the Army Corps of Engineers. In 1926, he authored Maya Architecture.

On August 22, 1921, he married noted sculptor and artist Vicken von Post-Börjesson of Sweden."MAJ. G.O. TOTTEN MARRIES: Weds Mrs. Vicken von Post, a Sculptress of Sweden," The New York Times, August 23, 1921, P. 11. They had two sons: George Oakley Totten III, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science from the University of Southern California, and Gilbert von Post Totten. Totten died at Washington, D.C., on February 1, 1939.

Selected works ImageBuildingAddressYear builtNotesChristian Hauge House2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.1906Now the Embassy of Cameroon.Pink Palace2600 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C.1906House built for Franklin MacVeagh. Now the Inter-American Defense Board headquarters.Old French Embassy2400 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C.1907Originally served as the Embassy of France, later as the Embassy of Ghana and headquarters of the Council for Professional RecognitionB. F. Moran House2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.1908Previous Embassy of Pakistan building, vacant since the early 2000s.Amaryllis Gillett House2225 R Street NW, Washington, D.C.1909Now the Embassy of Armenia.Henderson House2622 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C.1909House built for Senator John B. Henderson and Mary Foote Henderson. Now the Embassy of Lithuania.Embassy of Poland2640 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C.1910House built for the Hendersons. Now the Embassy of Lithuania.The OrchardsBennington, Vermont1911Mansion built for Edward Hamlin Everett. Was Southern Vermont College until 2019. On the NRHP (No. 00000384).Edward Hamlin Everett House1606 23rd Street NW, Washington, D.C.1914Built for Edward Hamlin Everett. Now the Residence of the Ambassador of Turkey.Congressional Club2001 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.1917On the NRHP (No. 11000717).Embassy of Ecuador Building2535 15th Street NW, Washington, D.C.1922Now the Embassy of Ecuador.Meridian Hall2401 15th Street NW, Washington, D.C.1923Building commissioned by Mary Foote Henderson. Now the Art of Living Foundation D.C. headquarters. On the NRHP (No. 90002147).Langley Park8151 15th Avenue, Langley Park, Maryland1924Now the CASA of Maryland multicultural services building. On the NRHP (No. 08000809).House at 2437 15th Street NW2437 15th Street NW, Washington, D.C.1927Built for Mary Foote Henderson. Now the Josephine Butler Parks Center. On the NRHP (No. 88000171).Embassy Building No. 103149 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C.1928Commissioned by Mary Foote Henderson. On the NRHP (No. 86003023).

References

District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board, Staff Report and Recommendations regarding 2230 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Mar 27, 2008 (accessed Sep 30, 2008). Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, "Residential Architecture of Washington, D.C., and its Suburbs," online essay by Pamela Scott (accessed Sep 30, 2008). Who Was Who in America, 1897–1942, (1942, New York: A.N. Marquis, Co.), p. 1247. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. XLI, (1956, New York: James T. White Co.), p. 496.

External links

Photograph of the Residence of the Ambassador of Turkey (Flickr website) (accessed Oct 1, 2008). Embassy.org website, The Turkish Embassy Ambassador's Residence (accessed Oct 1, 2008).