It was built by Robert Wilson Patterson, editor of the Chicago Tribune newspaper, and used by him and his family for entertaining when he was in the city.

After the American Civil War, several large mansions were built around the circle, where much of the area was still forested and afforded privacy.

[6] Major development began around Dupont Circle in 1871, when a group of mine owners from the western United States, led by Curtis J. Hillyer and Senator William Morris Stewart, purchased $600,000 of nearby land.

[6][8] In response to demands by this politically influential group, the city made major improvements to Massachusetts and Connecticut Avenue NW.

The traffic circle itself, which had been enclosed by a rough wooden fence since the 1860s, was landscaped, pedestrian paths laid, and drinking fountains and gas street lighting added.

But on November 15, 1902, four days before her son Joseph's wedding to Alice Higinbotham, paint cans in the attic of the north wing of the house caught fire.

Nellie Patterson spent less and less time in the Dupont Circle mansion over the years, preferring her long-time home in Chicago.

In September 1922, Cissy Patterson (herself spending more time at her other homes and abroad) allowed her daughter, Felicia, and her new husband, Drew Pearson, to take up residence in the mansion.

[20] Nellie Patterson vacated 15 Dupont Circle for good in 1923, never to return,[21] and deeded the property to Cissy that same year.

[28] The Coolidges stayed in the house from March 4, 1927, to June 13, 1927, after which they left for an extended vacation in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The ballroom was decorated in the Louis Quinze style, with a life-size portrait of Nellie Patterson and furniture in blue, pink, and white colors.

But after a family argument in 1942,[37] Cissy changed her will and asked that the mansion be donated to the League of Republican Women of the District of Columbia.

[24] After some renovations to bring the structure in line with current fire codes, the Washington Club occupied the building on November 8, 1951.

A reception room and small toilet were constructed on the south end of the second of the addition, while a large auditorium occupied the central section.

French Quarter hired Studio 3877 Architects to design a six-story addition to wrap around the rear of the structure.

[2] In February 2014, real estate developer SB-Urban agreed to buy the Patterson Mansion if the city approved its plan to subdivide the structure into "micro-unit" apartments (units 400 square feet (37 m2) or smaller).

The two companies, which formed a joint venture to renovate the mansion, said they planned 92 mini-apartments for the site, with shared living space, an on-site chef providing meals, meeting space, a private wine cellar, and a fully staffed private bar in the mansion's ballroom.

The property includes 92 residential apartments fitted with kitchens and washer/dryers for long-term leasing and hotel accommodations suited for short and extended stays.

The building faces southwest, and a semi-elliptical concrete driveway connects P Street and Dupont Circle to provide access to the main entrance.

[16][60] Variegated marble panels are set between each window on the third floor as well, the bottom of each decorated with scrollwork and a small dramatic mask.

[16] The two bay windows on either side of the balcony feature the same torches, swag, putti, panels, and molding similar to the rest of the third floor.

The vestibule behind the loggia was on a northeast–southwest axis, and flanked on both sides by toilets—one of which was accessible by the billiard room to the northwest and the other by the reception hall to the southeast.

Adjacent to the main staircase to the right (south) was the elevator, and then a small door and corridor giving onto the servants' section in the rear of the mansion's first floor.

Its flooring was oak parquetry in a herringbone pattern with plaster walls, a 6 inches (15 cm) wooden baseboard, and a dado rail at 3 feet (0.91 m).

The doors were similar to those of the library, and in the east wall was a fireplace with iron firebox and marble mantel in the Georgian style.

A single 12-light crystal chandelier with two hidden light tiers and an elaborate brass canopy hung from the ceiling.

[30] Cissy Patterson's changes also include extending the wine cellar outward beneath the driveway by a distance of 10 feet (3.0 m) in 1917.

Another door was cut in the north wall near the northeastern corner to provide access to a new exterior concrete fire escape stairs.

[13] The Washington Club did not, however, alter the main marble staircase, its wrought iron balustrade with red velvet banister, or the fountain on intermediate landing between the first and second floors.

[59] In 2015, SB-Urban and Rooney Properties joined forces to renovate and expand the Patterson House and turn it into 92 apartment units.