Embassy of Ireland, Washington, D.C.

Building

The Irish Embassy has been located at 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in The Mills Building since August 2025.

Prior to the move, the Embassy was located in the Henrietta M. Halliday House - the building is located on Massachusetts Avenue, in an area known as Embassy Row - named after the large number of embassies and diplomatic missions concentrated in the area.

The plot of land where the building currently stands was previously owned by former Republican Governor of Louisiana William P. Kellogg - who served as governor from 1873 until 1877. In May 1906, Kellogg sold the land to Henrietta M. Halliday for a total of $12,663. Henrietta subsequently applied and was issued a permit to build a dwelling on the land in 1908. The construction of the building was completed in June 1909.

This semi-detached limestone structure was designed by local Washington D.C. architect William Penn Cresson. The structure itself has two major facades, with each facade facing onto Sheridan Circle and Massachusetts Avenue. The exterior is designed in a Louis XVI Style, while the interior consists of an 18th-century French and English style. In 1911, the interior was extensively altered by Theodore Davis Boal's architecture firm, Boal & Brown.

Real estate speculator Harry Wardman briefly owned the property from 1926 until it was sold in 1930 during the Great Depression.

The property was purchased by the Government of Ireland in 1949 for $72,000.

Ambassador's Residence

The Irish Ambassador's residence is located at 2221 30th Street NW

It was purchased by the Irish Government for $12.25 million in December 2023, having been renting since 2021.

Previously, the Ambassador resided in the Frederic Delano House. Constructed in 1924, the building was built by Waddy Butler Wood for Frederic Adrian Delano, the uncle of former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Irish Government purchased the residence in 1965 for IR£102,000.

The building was vacated in 2021 due to health and safety issues.

References

References

1. "Embassy.org: The Embassy of Ireland".
2. "Department of Foreign Affairs".
3. "1. 1972 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE FACADE - Henrietta M. Halliday House, 2234 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, DC". The Library of Congress.
4. "Department of Foreign Affairs".
5. Affairs, Department of Foreign. "Embassy History & Previous Ambassadors - Department of Foreign Affairs".
6. Oireachtas, Houses of the. (1965-03-09). "Committee on Finance. - Vote 9—Public Works and Buildings. – Dáil Éireann (17th Dáil) – Tuesday, 9 Mar 1965 – Houses of the Oireachtas".