General Oliver Otis Howard House

General Oliver Otis Howard House

The General Oliver Otis Howard House, also known as Howard Hall, is a historic house, and the oldest surviving building on the campus of Howard University, in Washington, D.C. Built in 1867, it was the home of General Oliver Otis Howard, the university founder and its third president.

The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974. It faces Georgia Avenue NW, just north of Howard Place.

The house was built in 1867 as the home of General Oliver Otis Howard. Of four buildings erected during the founding phase of Howard University, it is the only one still standing. The university was chartered in 1867, when General Howard was serving as commissioner of the federal Freedmen's Bureau.

In that role, Howard was a major supporter of improved educational opportunities for newly freed African Americans. As a member of the First Congregational Church of Washington, he was instrumental in that congregation's support for creating of the institution as a seminary and normal school.

Howard's house was purchased by the University in 1909.