| Demonet Building | |
|---|---|
 Demonet Building in 2020 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Victorian (original building) Postmodern (addition) |
| Location | 1155 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Coordinates | 38°54′20″N 77°02′28″W / 38.9054212°N 77.0411755°W |
| Completed | 1880 (original building) 1984 (addition) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Unknown[1] (original building) Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (addition) |
| Designations | |
| Designated | November 23, 1979[1] |
The Demonet Building is composed of a historic townhouse and adjoining office building on the southeast corner of Connecticut Avenue and M Street N.W. in Washington, D.C. Constructed in 1880, the townhouse is the last Victorian residence on Connecticut Avenue between Dupont Circle and Farragut Square that has not been significantly altered. It features an octagonal tower topped by a dome with cartouche windows. Following a multi-year legal battle to demolish the townhouse, which had been added to the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites in 1979, the Demonet Building and adjoining lot were sold for what was then a record price for downtown real estate. The adjoining office building, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, was completed in 1984.
The building's namesake, John Charles Demonet, established a confectionery business on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1848. During the next several decades, he and his family grew the business into a successful company that included catering services. It was a confectionery supplier for the White House. In the early 1900s, the business was moved to Connecticut Avenue, a fashionable residential area at the time. It became a commercial pioneer of what was nicknamed the Fifth Avenue of Washington, D.C. After the business was moved a few blocks north in 1927, the Demonet family continued to own the building. It was rented to various retailers. The family sold the building in 1979. Since the modern addition was constructed, several organizations have owned the property, the most recent being an affiliate of the Qatari royal family.