Location: 2118 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Overall rating: 5/10
Ghost rating: 2/10
Would I visit again? Yes but it's going to take me some time to regain my trust
Freebies: So many brochures and a booklet of the whole exhibit
Built between 1902 and 1905, the Anderson House is a massive Gilded Age mansion. It was originally the winter home (yes, they used to do homes by season, can you believe that? Not in this real estate market. I barely have a home for any seasons.) of Larz Anderson, an American diplomat, and Isabel Anderson, a Boston heiress and author. It was originally used to entertain elite friends and display their grand collection of art and historic artifacts.
After Larz Anderson died, Isabel donated the house and its contents to the Society of the Cincinnati, which is a society that's dedicated to the celebration and remembrance of the American Revolution. In 1939, the home opened as a museum for the Society and its mission.
As someone who broke Colonial Williamsburg (like broke Amish but escaped Williamsburg, VA.) (I get to buy butter now instead of churning it by hand.) (That's a joke.) (I buy margarine.), I was stoked for this. There's supposed to be a huge collection of American Revolution artifacts. I went in, was told by a really nice front desk lady that there was going to be a tour in 35 minutes, and I was welcome to look at the temporary exhibit while I waited. I got to walk past some pretty extravagant artifacts, including a cannon.
The temporary exhibit was titled "Affairs of State: 118 Years of Diplomacy and Entertaining at Anderson House" and how I would describe it is white rich people being white rich people. It's all about the famous elite who have been invited to the house, which is fine. It was a good exhibit! And I really was trying to milk this one room of artifacts until the tour.
Then, when I went back out, they said all the tours have been cancelled. So... I left because there was nothing else to see. So honestly, I don't think I can give this one a real fair review here. If they knew who I was, I like to think they still wouldn't have had the tour because I don't matter.
LIKES:
- The one exhibit that was there? It was fine! They had one of Larz Anderson's outfits, which was really giving Gilded Glamour (@Met Gala. The fact that Larz Anderson understands the dress code better than Kylie Jenner is beyond sad.) And they have some dinnerware, invitations, and table seatings (they used to draw the people's face for their place cards which is so extra.) There's also some info on the period in which the Anderson House was the location of the Navy's Motion Picture Program that made movies to spur war workers' morale. And there's info on all the famous people who have been here, from presidents to medal winners to Winston Churchill.
- The house: What I saw of the house was pretty? It smelled old.
DISLIKES:
- The entranceway: For a rich person's house, their entranceway off the street SUCKS. And you can quote me on that. It's really uneven and I twisted my ankle and then I didn't even get to go on the tour and like lick a Revolutionary War musket so yeah, feel bad for me.
NOT TO BE MISSED:
- Sore point for me but my footing AND the tour! I'll probably go back to check it out at some point but I had such a sad experience that I'm not sure my heart (or foot) will take it just yet
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