Overview
The Cutts–Madison House faces Lafayette Square at the corner of H Street and Madison Place, built in the 1820s by Richard Cutts, brother-in-law of James and Dolley Madison, and it was here that the widowed Dolley Madison lived her last years, receiving presidents and society until her death in 1849 — the square's beloved neighbour, famously waving from her porch. The house passed through distinguished owners, hosted the Cosmos Club, and today belongs to the federal court complex serving the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, meaning it is viewed from the square, not visited. Its ghost story is among Washington's oldest: from the 19th century, telling has described Dolley's figure in the porch rocking chair or doorway at dusk, serene and smiling, with gentlemen of old habit said to have tipped their hats to the empty porch in passing. The story is cherished folklore around a genuinely cherished woman. Present it as such — light, historical, exterior-only — with the house's current federal use stated plainly.