It was built in 1784 by Founding Father John Langdon (1741-1819), a merchant, shipbuilder, American Revolutionary War general, signer of the United States Constitution, and three-term President (now termed governor) of New Hampshire.

The house he built for his family showed his status as Portsmouth's leading citizen and received praise from George Washington, who visited there in 1789.

It is built on a larger and grander scale than most houses, and has very high quality interior woodwork.

In 1877 the house came into the hands of Frances E. Bassett, a descendant of John Langdon's brother Woodbury.

Her son and daughter-in-law, Woodbury and Elizabeth Langdon, converted the house into a Colonial Revival showplace, adding a two-story wing designed by McKim, Mead & White whose details harmonize well with the original structure, and include a dining room based on one built by the ancestral Woodbury Langdon and preserved in the Rockingham Hotel.