The Mansion on O Street is one of Washington DC’s hidden gems. It boasts over 100 rooms spread over 4-5 floors, but the fun part is that it has over 70 hidden doors (like the blue bookcase door shown below). When you enter, it looks like the mother of all antique stores, as knick-knacks and artwork fill nearly every surface. You quickly become a detective, poking and prodding to determine if you’ve found one of the secret doors — or just another dead end. It also functions as a hotel; we got to peek inside rooms that weren’t currently occupied. I only found about 6 hidden doors; I guess I wasn’t as observant as I thought!
P.S. There’s an update below.
Well, here’s one hidden door – behind a bookcase on hinges.
The Mansion on O Street also functions as a one-of-a-kind hotel, and guests have free rein to search out all of the hidden doors.
The Mansion is a treasure box of vintage and antique collectibles.
It was only logical that the Mansion would include Star Trek memorabilia among its collectibles.
I don’t think any Native Americans ever carved this totem pole, but it’s certainly colorful.
Christmas greetings – in August!
The Mansion’s many collectibles also include religious items.
UPDATE: We returned to the Mansion on O Street a second time, this time to let Rachelle give it a go. She found more secret doors than I did, including the wine cellar and this nifty Elvis room behind a Coca-Cola vending machine (below).
Who knew you could push past this Coca-Cola machine? Don’t worry, I won’t spoil your fun. I’ve given away only two of the 70-odd secret doors.
Here’s Rachelle in the Elvis room.
And the wine cellar complete with Elvis collectibles.
And last but not least, a classic ’57 Chevy.
The Mansion on O Street is located at 2020 O Street NW in Washington DC. It consists of five interconnected town houses that were designed in 1892 by Edward Clark, the same architect who designed the US Capitol. Some of the leftover materials from the Capitol made their way into these buildings. The Mansion believes that it is the last virtually intact private residence from its time period still existing in Washington DC.
Admission to explore the mansion’s many rooms is $30.45. Lodging at the Mansion starts at $475 per night — and they’ll choose your room for you.
Originally written August 20, 2024, updated September 3, 2024