He was an outspoken critic of slavery, was responsible for the Alaska Purchase, and was a major figure in the founding of the modern Republican Party.

[2] In 1921 it was donated to George Washington University by Maxwell Van Zandt Woodhull, son of the original owner, and a brigadier general in the United States Army.

The main facade facing G Street contains the front door, set back within an arched entryway.

The university used the buildings surrounding Woodhull's as a starting point in relocating the center of campus to the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, and greatly developed the immediate area.

[5] Woodhull was also responsible for establishing a student artillery corps, which helped to maintain the university's enrollment during World War I.