Grounds of Diplomacy: A History, A Place, A Mission

To commemorate its 60^th anniversary, Meridian International Center has produced an elegant coffee table book to showcase the stunning architecture of Meridian House and White-Meyer House that make up the Center’s campus, and tell the story of how the homes and the Center came to be. The book, titled Grounds of Diplomacy: A History, A Place, A Mission, serves as a tribute to Meridian International Center’s historic campus in Washington and its thread in history as a hub for diplomacy, global leadership and international exchange.

Starting with the official naming of the Meridian Hill neighborhood along the proposed Washington meridian line, the book chronicles the area’s transformation into the ‘diplomatic quarter of Washington’ with the development of several embassy mansions in the early 20^th century. The book then details the construction of the two residential jewels on Crescent Place, designed by renowned architect John Russell Pope and home to two accomplished American diplomats, the influential Eugene Meyer family, and later, Meridian International Center.

As the only publication to memorialize this history through over a century’s worth of compelling photographs and imagery, the book celebrates Meridian’s work to advance diplomacy through the exchange of global leaders, ideas and culture, and shows how this mission upholds the legacy of those who built Meridian Hill into a Washington neighborhood that remains influential in the United States’ engagement with the world.