The Russian Cultural Centre Building

1825 Phelps Place NW, Washington, D.C.
The 33 room building, one of six Russian government properties in Washington, D.C., became the home of the Russian Cultural Centre in 1998.

Following 22 months of "Restoration, Renovation, Innovation" it was opened, in December 1999, as the official home of Russian culture in the United States. The building had been purchased by the Russian Government in the 1950s and was first the school for Embassy children, and later the Consulate building.

Built in 1895, the mansion was the early 1900s home of Evalyn Walsh McLean who owned the Hope Diamond and the Washington Post.

Early Russian connection. As a teenager upstairs in the house dressing for a party downstairs, Evalyn was shocked to see her friend Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt, offer a cigarette (taboo in 1901) to another friend, Countess Cassini, daughter of the Russian Ambassador. (The Russian Ambassador was the grandfather of fashion designer, Oleg Cassini.)
The RCC building facing Phelps Place (top) and LeRoy Place.
The famous 45.5 carat Hope Diamond bought by Evalyn Walsh McLean from Pierre Cartier of Paris, in 1910. Harry Winston bought it from her estate in 1949, displayed it in his 5th Avenue store for 10 years, then sent it (by regular mail!) to its present home, The Smithsonian, in 1958. Originally called the "French Blue" it was bought by Louis XIV in 1668, from India, and worn by Marie Antoinette. It was stolen in 1792 and surfaced on the market in London in 1812.
THE GREAT HALL
The Great Hall is named for Peter the Great and Catherine the Great whose names are inlaid in the floor below their paintings.

The paintings are the largest of Peter and Catherine outside of Russia, and include examples of the major acheivements of their reigns. (See "Art Collection" section of the web site for a description of the details included in the paintings.)

There are twelve distinctive crowns on the mirrors and paintings---in 5 different sizes. At the beginning of the restoration of the building there were only 3 crowns remaining. The Director of the Russian Embassy school Art Department used those as a model to create the remaining 9 identical crowns in the 5 different sizes. Russian craftsmen and women then applied gold leaf to the crowns.

The Great Hall Steinway grand piano pictured at left is the instrument for the recitals of visiting Russian pianists, for live music at art exhibit opening nights and to accompany visiting vocalists.

The Great Hall with a view to the Dacha Terrace. The 8 ft. portraits of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great are the largest outside of Russia.
A Russian American muscial partnership: the Steinway often fills the RCC with the classics of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and other famous composers.
Classical Russian music on a Stradivarius.
RUSSIAN AMERICAN ROOM
The painting in the Russian-American Room, dedicated by Mikhail Gorbachev, includes examples of cooperation through history. Mikhail Gorbachev and FRCC Chairman Costley
Formal dinner preparations in the Russian American Room
THE MOSCOW ROOM
The Moscow Room has on-loan the world's only collection of Moscow Cathedral models (see "RCC Art Collection" ) . Four walls of gold leaf... St. Christopher icon...paintings near ceiling of the Bolshoi, Christ the Savior, Kremlin, Moscow University.
THE ENTRANCE HALL
Tereshkova Entrance Hall: the Grand Staircase with its carved Russian Bear & Samovar and Quartet Balcony---from which many brides have thrown flowers in the past 100 years. Here, a grand entrance of models of a Russian Fashion Show.
THE DACHA TERRACE
Receptions for 200 on the Dacha Terrace. Tented for seated dinner--at far right.
THE LIBRARIES
On the second floor there will be three libraries. The Library of Space Science and Exploration was completed in 2002. The Pushkin Library of Arts and Humanities opened in January 2004. The Library of Russian American Cooperation will be completed in 2007.
Russia & U.S. Space Library The Pushkin Library Library of Russian American Cooperation
Each of the Libraries has a separate section of the web site. Please click the blue button at left.
The Russian Cultural Centre building is open 10 AM - 6 PM, Monday through Friday
RCC building entrance at left. Above, Mikhail Gorbachev and RCC Director Batova plant the Tree of Russian American Cooperation. At right, the tree, an American dogwood, on Russian soil.