Day 223: Old Korean Legation Museum, Washington, D.C.
📌APIA Every Day (223) - The Old Korean Legation Museum, located at 15 Logan Circle NW in Washington, D.C., represents a significant piece of Korean American diplomatic history. Originally constructed in 1877 as a private residence for naval officer Seth Ledyard Phelps, the 6,300-square-foot Victorian-style building was purchased by the Korean government in 1891 for $25,000. This acquisition marked a crucial diplomatic milestone as Korea's only legation in the Western world, established despite Chinese opposition to Korea's independent foreign relations. The building served as Korea's diplomatic mission until 1905, hosting various ministers and facilitating early Korean American relations during a period of significant international change in East Asia.
The building's ownership changed dramatically following Japan's increasing control over Korea. After the 1905 Japan-Korea Treaty established a Japanese protectorate over Korea, the legation was forced to cease operations, and Minister Yun Chun Kim made his final visit to the State Department in January 1906. Following Japan's annexation of Korea in 1910, the building was sold to the Japanese government for $5 and quickly resold for $10. Over the subsequent decades, the property served multiple purposes, including an African American recreation center in the 1940s and a Teamsters union hall. In 2012, after years of negotiations, the South Korean government's Cultural Heritage Administration purchased the property for $3.5 million from its longtime owners, Timothy and Lauretta Jenkins, who had owned it since 1977.
The building underwent extensive renovation from 2015 to 2018, during which it was restored to its late 19th-century appearance while incorporating Korean decorative elements. The current museum features several distinct spaces, including a library, photograph exhibits, the minister's bedroom, private offices, and a banquet area. The former parking lot has been converted into a traditional Korean garden with a granite Eternal Youth Gate. Added to both the National Register of Historic Places and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites in 2024, the building is also a contributing property to the Logan Circle Historic District and Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District.
LEARN MORE:
Old Korean Legation: Old Korean Legation Cradle of the Korea-U.S. Friendship
D.C. Historic Sites: Old Korean Legation
#apiaeveryday #korean #koreanamerican #washington #dc #oldkoreanlegationmuseum #japankoreantreaty #russojapanesewar #eulsatreat #eulsaunwillingtreaty #nationalregisterofhistoricplaces #logancircle
