St. Johns Episcopal Church
Standing at Sixteenth and H Streets NW., directly across Lafayette Square from the White House, St John's is preeminently "the Church of the Presidents." A faded entry in the minutes of the vestry states that on December 7, 1816, a committee was formed to "wait on the President of the United States [Jame Madison] and offer him a pew in this church, without his being obliged to purchase same." Madison chose pew 54, but insisted on paying the customary annual rental. The next five Presidents in succession -- Monroe, Adams, Jackson, Van Buren, and Harrison--occupied this pew during their terms office, and since then, by tradition, pew 54 has been set aside for Presidents of the United States. Franklin D. Roosevelt paid homage to the tradition by spending a few minutes in prayer here on his two inaugurations days.
St. John's Church has played its part in our Presidential annals in other ways. James Madison's vivacious Quaker wife, Dolly, was baptized and confirmed an Episcopalian in this church. Presidents William Henry Harrison and Taylor were buried from it Pew 54 is now being used by Mrs. William Howard Taft and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson.
In the architecture of Washing, St. John's church also holds a distinguished place. It was designed by an early American architect, Benjamin Latrobe, and though many changes have been wrought in its original structure, it remains a notable example of late Federal architecture. Excepting the White House, it was the first building to be erected on the present Lafayette Square. Latrobe panned it in the form of a Greek cross with flat dome and lantern cupola. Within a few years after its completion in 1816, an enlargement was made on the west front. The nave was carried to the building line on Sixteenth Street, and the present Doric portico, the side vestibule, and the well-proportioned were added at the same time The simple charm and dignity of its colonnaded front reflect the architectural sobriety and good taste of the period. The mellow texture of its yellow stucco walls, the white trim, and the restraint of its classic detail all contribute to this effect. -Washington, City and Capital, 1937, pg. 491-492.
St. John's Episcopal Church continues to be the "Church of Presidents" with all since Madison having had least occasionally attended services at this church. The church appears as described in the Guide. The church was listed as an National Historic Landmark in 1960.