Tricks and Treats of D.C.'s Architecture cont.d

Eisenhower Executive Office Building

Next to the West Wing of the White House know as the Old Executive Office Building before it was renamed in 1999 and rededicated in 2002, is the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The building design, based on an addition to the Louvre, is in an ornate style that is known today as the French Second Empire Style, built between 1871 - 1888 (17 years total). As one of the most grand buildings in D.C. the Eisenhower Building has witnessed accidental and natural deaths, as well as a few suicides, possibly leaving a number of souls wandering the halls.

• Staff members working overnight in the building have reported seeing ghosts in the halls, especially in the early morning hours, but never in the offices. Who wants to work in the after life anyway…
  
• On the ground floor beneath the northeast monumental stair is the location for two accidental deaths, a White House Historian has said to have witnessed evidence of activities that he can't explain, which has caused many to think that spot is haunted.
  

Stephen Decatur House Museum

Celebrated Naval hero, Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., and his wife, Susan Wheeler moved to Washington, D.C. in 1816 and purchased a plot on Lafayette Square for their new house. Benjamin Henry Latrobe designed their Federal style home to reflect their high class and prominence in social circles. It was the first private residence built on the President's Park, neighboring the White House. The couple moved into their grand house in 1819 and hosted a number of extravagant parties. Soon after, a thirteen year quarrel ensued between Decatur and an old college friend, which finally resulted in a duel where Decatur was fatally wounded and died several hours later at his home.

• Near by residents have claimed the home is haunted by Stephen Decatur, whose spirit can be seen as a shadowy figure gazing out of the second floor window or stealthily leaving the house from the back door. The numerous sightings have caused the windows to be covered to prevent gawking.
  
• There is an unexplained sound of mournful weeping many stories attribute to the ghost of Stephen's widow, Susan, who moved out of the house following the death of her husband.