Decatur House

What do President Bush, Chris Matthews and Alan Greenspan all have in common?

They all know how to entertain in style.

The Stephen Decatur House and Museum can be found at 1610 H St., right on Lafayette Square, a stone’s throw from the White House. A hugely popular event and wedding venue, Decatur House has a history as rich as its clientele.

As the first and only private residence on the exclusive Lafayette Square border, it was purchased by Commodore Stephen Decatur in 1819 with money he had earned through service in the War of 1812.

Decatur intended to climb the ranks of Washington high society by throwing lavish galas in his new house, which he had built to be “fit for entertaining.” Sadly, Decatur was killed in a duel a scant 14 months after purchasing the barely broken-in grounds.

Decatur’s widow rented it out to a variety of secretaries of state, including Henry Clay, future president Martin Van Buren and Edward Livingston. The site changed hands many times over the years, becoming a home to vice presidents and senators, and a Union Army uniform storage facility during the Civil War. Eventually, it was recognized as a historic building, saved from demolition and doubled as an event house and museum since the 1960s.

The site is perfect for any sort of large gathering, boasting a Carriage House that can adapt to any function (Capitol One’s Christmas Party in this venue treated diners to an artificial indoor snowfall).

The Carriage House and accompanying courtyard can accommodate up to 600 guests, along with the usual retinue of caterers, florists, entertainers, and musicians.  That capacity has made it a frequent choice for large corporate or social gatherings.  As mentioned, Chris Matthews’s “Hardball” show on MSNBC celebrated its 10th anniversary in the stately ivy-and-brick covered courtyard of Decatur House. Alan Greenspan’s release for the book The Age of Turbulence was feted and first signed under the high ceilings of the adjoining Carriage House, where the elaborate French décor masks a sophisticated sound and lighting system. Don’t be fooled by the intricate moldings and 18th-century doorways — the Carriage House has enough behind-the-scenes technology to make it an excellent location for a fast-moving presidential campaign to shoot a campaign ad. Just ask Barack Obama, who filmed just such an ad right here last month.

Guests seeking a more intimate experience are in luck as well. Adjoining the courtyard and Carriage House is a smaller, more private area where the original owners of the home slept, ate and entertained small parties. It contains two second-story parlor rooms that can accommodate small groups of around 30 or fewer. And it is in these close, elegant quarters that President Bush hosted a small fundraiser last October. These parlor rooms are often rearranged and redecorated for various events, ensuring no two experiences there are quite alike. Guests at a large function in the Carriage House and courtyard can go on guided tours of these parlor rooms as well. Guided tours also go through several reconstructed areas of the house, including the former slave quarters, which is being renovated into a museum exhibit.

If you think all this sounds nice but a tad aristocratic, the Decatur House would like to extend to you an invitation to its “Jazz on Jackson Place” events. These soirees, fun in their own right, are populist touches, open to all and sundry. For $25 a head, Decatur House will provide you with entry to a beautiful, nighttime courtyard jazz festival, tours of the house, drinks and light appetizers. This is an event not to be missed, and you don’t need to be friends with Alan Greenspan or President Bush — it’s affordable even on the budget of a Capitol Hill staffer. These “Jazz on Jackson Place” events are offered on the first Thursday of every month from April to September, where the warm Washington air allows for outdoor celebrations like this. Go for tickets early — they sell out fast.