Dupont Circle in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Cosmos Club

Historic Site, Washington, DC

Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, October 8, 2015

1. Cosmos Club Marker

Inscription. Founded in 1878, the Cosmos Club is a private social and cultural organization whose members are eminent in their professional fields. Members have included U.S. presidents, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, and recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and National Medals of Science and of Technology and Innovation.

The Townsend house, on the original site of the Hillyer house, was designed by Carrère and Hastings for Mary Scott Townsend and Richard Townsend. Completed in 1900, the house was among the first of the grand Beaux-Arts mansions lining Massachusetts Avenue. The Townsend home became a center of Washington society. In 1950, the Cosmos Club purchased the property.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, 1973

Caption:
Major John Wesley Powell, explorer, naturalist, scientist, and a founder and first president of the Cosmos Club.
Portrait by E.H. Miller, Cosmos Club

Erected by Cultural Tourism DC.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.

Location. 38° 54.673′ N, 77° 2.847′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Dupont Circle. Marker is at the intersection of

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Massachusetts Avenue Northwest and Q Street Northwest, on the right when traveling north on Massachusetts Avenue Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2121 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20008, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Society of the Cincinnati (within shouting distance of this marker); Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Tomáš G. Masaryk (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); George Washington (about 400 feet away); Indonesian Embassy / Walsh-McLean Mansion (about 400 feet away); Liberation of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg (about 500 feet away); American News Women's Club (about 500 feet away); 2019 Q Street NW (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.

Also see . . . About the Cosmos Club (Club website). (Submitted on October 15, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, October 8, 2015

2. Cosmos Club Marker

The marker can be seen at the far right, mounted on a black metal fence.

The Cosmos Club image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, October 8, 2015

3. The Cosmos Club

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. This page has been viewed 476 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 8, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.