Halcyon House, Our Office
Halcyon House is a 18th century mansion as part of the Halcyon Incubator, which houses, funds and supports social entrepreneurs in Washington DC. The support of Halcyon is unbelievable, but the house itself is something beyond words.
Presenting a tour through the mansion. Where the social enterprise startups live and work.
3400 PROSPECT ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20007
Halcyon Mission & Support
The Halcyon Incubator is committed to solving 21st-century challenges throughout the nation and the world. By helping social entrepreneurs transform audacious ideas into scalable and sustainable ventures, the Halcyon Incubator acts as a catalyst for measurable social outcomes. It’s perhaps the most immersive incubator in the world that focuses on both social impact and profit.
​
During this 18-month fellowship, a diverse cohort of fellows receives free residency and workspace, mentorship and leadership coaching, robust support from business consultants, and a living stipend to develop their entrepreneurial vision into reality. Fellows engage with the program in two major stages:
​
-
Residency (5 months): Fellows live and work at the Halcyon Incubator with unfettered access to expert guidance. They also participate in core programming that includes pitch sessions, a skill development series and other events, ultimately taking part in a “Demo Day” in front of partners and investors.
-
Post-Residency (13 months): Fellows continue to work at the Halcyon Incubator, with free access to all resources to further build their networks, secure funding, and grow their venture.
Halcyon’s well-honed methodology fosters creativity through an environment of freedom, access, collaboration and support. It gives prospective impact leaders the physical and mental space to freely take risks and exercise their ingenuity. By removing barriers and supplying resources, Halcyon empowers visionaries regardless of their means or circumstances. In this way, it disrupts the status quo of who has access to entrepreneurship opportunities.
Halcyon Incubator Cohort 9 fellows. (not ordered as pictured) Nat Ware, Founder, Asterisk. Annie Harper, Brennan Hatton, Rick Martin, Co-founders Equal Reality. Neeraj Saini and Roopam Sharma, Co-founders Eyeluminati. Yolandra Hancock, Founder, M-SizeMe. Elizabeth Jia and Hua Wang, Co-founders SmartBridge Health. Amanat Anand and Shubham Issar, Co-founders, SoaPen. Vanessa Gill, Founder, Social Cipher. Kari Clark, Founder, Uplift
A brief history of Halcyon House
Halcyon House is a Federal-style home in Washington, D.C. Located in the heart of Georgetown, the house was built beginning in 1787 by the first Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert. Its gardens were designed by Pierre L’Enfant, and for several decades in the early 19th century Halcyon House was the center of much of Washington’s social life.
​
After the death of his wife and his finances declining, Stoddert transferred ownership of Halcyon House in 1802 to his daughter, Elizabeth Ewell, and her husband, Thomas. Thomas and Elizabeth’s sixth child, Richard S. Ewell, was born in the house in 1817, and he went on to become a noted Confederate general during the American Civil War under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. The Ewells vacated the home in 1818. A succession of owners had possession of the house over the next 80 years.
​
Halcyon House was sold in 1900 to Albert Clemens, a nephew of Mark Twain. The original structure was heavily altered over the next 38 years as Clemens renovated the house and added structures. Clemens believed that perpetually rebuilding the house would extend his life. The coach house was joined to the building, the north face and rear of the house added onto extensively with apartments, rooms were built within rooms, hallways added and then walled off, and even a small crypt added in one room. After Clemens’ death, the house stood unoccupied for four years until purchased by Dorothy W. Sterling, the wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden. Ownership changed again in 1951, and Georgetown University bought the property in 1961 and used it as a dormitory.
​
Halcyon House was purchased by architect Edmund Dreyfuss in 1966 and, as of 2009, was occupied by his son, noted sculptor John Dreyfuss. The historic home was extensively reconstructed from 1978 to 1995 to restore it to its original appearance. The house and grounds are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and during the period Dreyfuss maintained residency and ownership, served primarily as a venue for special events. Halcyon House was put on the market in 2008 for $30 million. It was re-listed in January 2010 and, as of September 20, 2010, had been on the market for 250 days and was listed at $19.5 million.
​
In November 2011 the Halcyon House sold for a price of $12.5 million to Dr. Sachiko Kuno, and Dr. Ryuji Ueno, just two weeks after the price was lowered from $15 million. The house is currently used as headquarters for the Halcyon, a non-profit whose mission is to “catalyze emerging creatives striving for a better world.”