] It was designed by William Lovering in 1795. The first owner of the home was William Mayne Duncanson, whose house guests included
George Washington. In August 1814, it served as a hospital after the
Battle of Bladensburg. In 1815, it was purchased from bankruptcy, by
Francis Scott Key. In July 1838, it was purchased by Major Augustus A. Nicholson. On June 2, 1856, it was purchased by
John M. Clayton. He added a ballroom with decoration by
Constantino Brumidi. On April 20, 1858, it was purchased by
Louis François de Pourtalès; there are rumors of his winecellar. In 1871, it was purchased by journalist Mrs.
Emily Edson Briggs; she named it "Maple Square." The Friendship House Association, founded in 1904, purchased the house in 1936, and operated a
settlement house, and community center there. As the Capitol Hill neighborhood
gentrified, most of the people served were in other parts of Washington, D.C. It was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places on January 18, 1973. The property was sold in 2010, to a private developer. ==See also==