Prospect House
a.k.a. Lingan-Templeman House
3508 Prospect St., NW., Washington, DCIn 1945 Mrs. Josephine Ogden Forrestal, wife of James E. Forrestal, then Secretary of the Navy and later the first Secretary of Defense, purchased the property. Following Forrestal's suicide in 1949, Mrs. Forrestal leased the house to the U.S. Government as a "guest house" for foreign dignitaries, while Blair House was occupied by President Truman. In 1951 Mrs. Forrestal sold Prospect House to the Honorable Thurmond Chatham, a member of Congress from North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Chatham restored the house and grounds. Mr. Chatham died in 1957. His widow, Patricia Firestone Chatham, is the present owner and occupant.
Local significance of the building:
Architecture; Social History
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
About National Register Listings
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
The District was home to a thriving jazz scene in the mid-20th century: From the 1920s through the 1950s, Washington, D.C. was a hub for jazz musicians and clubs. Legendary performers such as Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker played in venues throughout the city.