The historic residence was constructed in 1891 by architect Edwin C. Manning. It is a Victorian style row house. The house was documented for the
Historic American Buildings Survey.
Rhea Chiles, the wife of then
Florida U.S. Senator
Lawton Chiles, saw the home and proposed it be made into a sort of embassy for Florida in Washington D.C. Opening its doors on October 26, 1973, Florida House became the first, and remains the only, "State Embassy" in Washington D.C. Its purpose is to serve the people of the State of Florida. Florida House is an education and information center and provides meeting, classroom and reception space for Floridians visiting Washington D.C. The Victorian-style row house that is now Florida House was built in 1891 by Edwin Manning, an architect working on the
Library of Congress. By the time Rhea Chiles walked past the house in 1972, the neighborhood was unsafe, the second floor had caved in, the windows were boarded up, and
homeless people were living in the basement. A "For Sale" sign stood out front. Recalling that one of her children had asked where Florida's embassy was during a tour of Embassy Row, she used that vision to raise $120,000 from friends in Florida then added $5,000 of her own money to purchase the house. It operated on a
shoestring budget for ten years. Following the collapse of the beams holding up the third floor in 1982, major structural and interior
renovation was conducted. The trustees decided that the
furnishings in the house would reflect that of a home in 1891. Every piece of furniture and art was a gift from a Floridian. ==Organization==