Forrest-Marbury House

Forrest-Marbury House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
File:Embassy of Ukraine, Washington, D.C. 002.jpg
Forrest-Marbury House, now the Embassy of Ukraine, in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Location	3350 M St., NW., Washington, District of Columbia
Coordinates
Built	1788
Architectural style	Federal
NRHP Reference #	73002084
Added to NRHP	July 02, 1973

The Forrest-Marbury House, located at 3350 M Street NW in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and is not far from the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Potomac River.

It was the site of a March 29, 1791, meeting between President George Washington and local land-owners to discuss the federal government's purchase offer of land needed to build a new capital city for the young United States of America. The meeting was a success and the land was soon acquired.

History

The Forrest-Marbury house itself dates to 1788 and is one of the District of Columbia's most historic sites. It was originally home to Uriah Forrest, mayor of the Town of George at the time.

The house's next owner was real estate investor William Marbury, who occupied it in 1800 while he purchased large tracts in the District's Anacostia section. Marbury's battle with President Thomas Jefferson over President John Adams's federal appointments resulted in the landmark 1803 U. S. Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison, written by Chief Justice John Marshall and decided against Marbury, that first established the right of judicial review of executive and legislative branch acts of government.

The house remained in Marbury's family throughout most of the nineteenth century. It was later used as both a residence and a commercial property, including the Crazy Horse rock and roll nightclub in the 1980s, before being restored and remodeled in the early 1990s. In 1992 it was offered for lease as part of "Forrest Marbury Court". Since 1992, it has served as the offices of the Embassy of Ukraine.

Sources

• Bergheim, Laura, The Washington Historical Atlas, Woodbine House, Rockville, Maryland, 1992, ISBN 0-933149-42-5, page 161.
• VERIZON, District of Columbia Yellow Pages, June 2007-2008, Idearc Media, page 161.