Alibi Club
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites
Alibi Club in 2008
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Location	1806 I Street,NW Washington, D.C.[1]
Coordinates	38°54′4.2″N77°2′31.4″W / 38.901167°N 77.042056°W /38.901167; -77.042056
Built	1869
Architectural style	Italianate
NRHP reference No.	94001221
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 21, 1994[1]
Designated DCIHS	June 17, 1992

TheAlibi Club is a traditional gentlemen'sprivate club inWashington, D.C. Its members consist of the Washington elite, including presidents, senators,^[2] and diplomats,^[1] among other prominent figures.

In 1884, seven Washingtonians founded the Alibi Club, a private social club of prominent political and social figures. Its name derived from the club practice of providing analibi when the member's family questioned the whereabouts of a member. The club's founding purpose was to foster "mutual improvement, education, and enlightenment" among members of Washington society. Membership also extended to out-of-town figures fromNew York City,Boston, andPhiladelphia, most likely to share information between communities and help in the development of strategies to address civic issues. Throughout its history, it has hosted numerous world leaders, includingKing Leopold of Belgium,Prince Albert of Belgium,Prince Henry of Prussia, and ViceroyLi Hongzhang.^[1]

The first clubhouse was situated at 17th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Since 1886, the club has occupied a three-story, brick townhouse blocks away from theWhite House. The clubhouse is furnished with donated memorabilia and artifacts covering nearly every available wall section on the first two floors. The clubhouse is also notable as a well-preserved example of residential architecture in a commercial district and was added to theNational Register of Historic Places on October 21, 1994.^[1] In 2018, the building was listed as a vacant property, but saw a resurgence in activity in the weeks following the designation.^[3]

Membership is limited to fifty, with new members admitted upon unanimous vote after the death of a previous member. Membership is not revealed to outsiders, and the first public notice of membership is often in a member's obituary.^[2]

Some of the Alibi Club's most prominent members have included: PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush,^[4] his father, SenatorPrescott Bush, Supreme Court JusticesPotter Stewart andStanley F. Reed,Allen Dulles andJohn Foster Dulles, Speaker of the HouseNicholas Longworth, and GeneralGeorge C. Marshall.^[1]

This list isincomplete; you can help byadding missing items.(May 2009)

• List of traditional gentlemen's clubs in the United States
• National Register of Historic Places listings in central Washington, D.C.

• Media related toAlibi Club at Wikimedia Commons

• 1884 establishments in Washington, D.C.
• Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.
• Clubs and societies in Washington, D.C.
• Houses completed in 1869
• Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.
• Italianate architecture in Washington, D.C.
• Gentlemen's clubs in Washington, D.C.

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