Forrest-Marbury House

The Forrest-Marbury House, located at 3350 M Street, Northwest, in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., was the site of the March 29, 1791 meeting between George Washington and the local land-owners to propose the federal government's purchase offer for the land needed to build the new capital city. The meeting was a success, and the land acquisition deal was sealed shortly thereafter.

The house itself dates back to 1788, and was home to Uriah Forrest, the mayor of the Town of George at the time. The next owner was real estate investor William Marbury who occupied it in 1800 while buying up large tracts in the Anacostia area. His battle with President James Madison over promised federal appointments in 1803, resulted in the "Marbury v. Madison" decision (against Marbury) which established the crucial precedent of the federal judicial review.

The house remained in Marbury's family throughout most of the nineteenth century. It was later used as both a residence and a commercial property, including a rock and roll nightclub in the 1980s before being restored and remodelled in the early 1990s. In 1992 it was offered for lease as part of "Forrest Marbury Court". In 2008 it serves as the Embassy of the Ukraine.

References

*Bergheim, Laura, "The Washington Historical Atlas", Woodbine House, Rockville, Maryland, 1992, ISBN 0-933149-42-5, page 161.
*VERIZON, District of Columbia Yellow Pages, June 2007-2008, Idearc Media, page 161.