The Mansion on O Street: three rowhouses in one.
This week, everything is for sale at the Mansion on O Street, with two exceptions: The Mansion will not relinquish guitars signed by EmmyLou Harris and Bob Dylan, “or any of the gibson guitars that were donated for our guests to use,” says Mansion creator H.H. Leonards.
“They were gifts of artists who stay here,” says Leonards. And the Gibson guitars “are part of the museum collection.”
But visitors can grab the rest, including: A carved wooden bear lamp, a giant red fork/spoon set, a table with an embedded monopoly board, and thousands of framed collages, photographs, paintings, drawings etc.
If you haven’t heard of the Mansion on O Street, it’s time you did. Every few years, Washington D.C. should receive a formal reintroduction to this quiet landmark.
Sure, the Mansion opened nearly 30 years ago, and it sits roughly a block and a half from Dupont Circle. And yes, City Paper and other publications have been describing its exhilaratingly bizarre decor and “mishmash of ventures” for years. (The place bills itself as a hotel, museum, event venue—-and not to be cliched but—-so much more!)
But I remained ignorant of these facts until this Sunday—- So for all those unfamiliar with the log cabin room, let’s do some catch-up:
Here are a few reasons to visit the Mansion (which, as I mention above, is composed of three rowhouses combined into one):
- Like I said, there’s a log cabin-themed room:
- Oh, and the log cabin-themed room happens to be a log-cabin themed loft. Here’s the upstairs:
- There’s a wooden jacuzzi.
- And other stuff—-soooo much other stuff.
I’ll post more pictures later. But the Mansion is best experienced room by room, in person. The Mansion on O Street is located at 2020 O Street NW. The sale lasts from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through tomorrow.
Images by Paul Selker and Ruth Samuelson