The Octagon

<br><center>Built between 1799 and 1802<br> by Colonel John Tayloe III (1771-1828)<br>and his wife Ann Ogle Tayloe (1772-1855)<br><br> Dr. William Thornton (1759-1828)<br> Architect<br><br> Occupied by President and Mrs. Madison<br>from August 1814 to March 1815<br>after the burning of the White House<br>by the British during the War of 1812<br><br>The Treaty of Ghent<br>ending the War of 1812<br>was ratified here by President Madison<br>on February 15, 1815<br><br>Headquarters of<br> the American Institute of Architects<br>from 1898-1949<br><br>Designated a National Historic<br> Landmark in 1960</center>