| Tingey House | |
|---|---|
 Tingey House in the 2010s | |
  Location in Washington, D.C. | |
| Alternative names | Quarters A Commandant's Quarters Commandant's House |
| General information | |
| Type | Official residence |
| Architectural style | Georgian-Victorian |
| Location | Washington, DC, United States |
| Coordinates | 38°52′34.1″N76°59′40.6″W / 38.876139°N 76.994611°W /38.876139; -76.994611 |
| Named for | Thomas Tingey |
| Completed | 1804 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | William Lovering |
Tingey House, officially known asQuarters A, is theofficial residence of theChief of Naval Operations of theUnited States Navy. Built in 1804, it is located at theWashington Navy Yard inWashington, D.C., and is part of the Yard's historicOfficers Quarters. The residence was named in honor of its first resident and yard commandant, CommodoreThomas Tingey.
Tingey House is located on the grounds of theWashington Navy Yard and adjoins Leutze Park, the yard's parade ground.[1] It is part of "Admirals' Row" (Officers Quarters), a group of historic homes that serve as official residences for senior Navy officers and their families.[2] The House is also called theCommandant's Quarters[3] orCommandant's House.[4]
Tingey House lies immediately east of theLatrobe Gate (also called the "Main Gate").[3]
Tingey House is a two-and-a-half-story structure with agable roof.[3][4] According to a 1970s-eraNational Register of Historic Places nomination form, the first floor contains a dining room, library, kitchen, and two parlors; the second floor contains four bedrooms, and the attic contains two chambers.[3] There is aporte-cochère and enclosed porch on the south and east sides of the House.[3]
In 1801,Secretary of the NavyRobert Smith ordered the construction of "a house to accommodate the officer of Marines and the Superintendent of the Navy Yard."[5] The resulting building was designed by William Lovering and completed in 1804.[6] TheGeorgian-style[a] property was named after its first resident, Thomas Tingey, the superintendent of the Washington Navy Yard.[4][7][8] As theBritish Army advanced on Washington during theWar of 1812, the property survived Tingey's orders to burn the Washington Navy Yard. However, following theBritish withdrawal from Washington and before Tingey could reoccupy the home, it was looted by area residents.[9]
A memorial plaque to Tingey is fixed to the side of the house:[4]
Captain Thomas Tingey, U.S.N. who for almost half a century served his country as an officer of the Navy. He laid out the Navy Yard and for twenty-eight years was its first Commandant.
Tingey House was used by different naval officers until 1977, whenOne Observatory Circle, formerly the home of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), was reassigned for use by theVice President of the United States. The CNO's new official residence became Tingey House.[10][11]
In June 2008, Tingey House completed a significant renovation, which included the addition of an expandedkitchen and china closet, construction of a larger staff wing, rehabilitation of the home'sgreenhouse, and the remodeling of several bathrooms.[11]
The Washington Navy Yard islisted as a Superfund site, and the "Admirals' Row" group of homes suffer from nearbylead-contaminated soil, thought to be caused bylead-based paint, lead roofing, and leadwater mains.[2]
According to popular legend, theghost of Thomas Tingey occupies and haunts the house. The first reported sighting of Tingey's ghost was in 1853, by the daughter of the Navy Yard's then-commandant. In August 1960, Rear AdmiralThomas Robbins reported that his pet dog, Lucky, barked madly at an empty chair in the home'sdrawing room until Robbins recited theincantation, "Good evening, commodore, we're glad to be living in your house," after which the dog behaved normally.[12]
Media related toTingey House at Wikimedia Commons
