Embassy of the Republic
of the Philippines

The Old Chancery, located at 1617 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., was acquired on 13 October 1941 from Mrs. Stella Stapleton, wife of Daniel Stapleton, owner of two platinum mines in Ecuador and Colombia. It was at 1617 Massachusetts Avenue where the National Catholic Welfare Conference was first held and many welfare and religious projects were conceived and developed.

Although the Philippines acquired the property in 1941, the Office of the Resident Commission did not move in until 1943. For a time during World War II, the building was also the headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Government-in-Exile. When the Philippines achieved independence and became a Republic in 1946, the Office of the Resident Commissioner became the Embassy of the Philippines, and the building became the Chancery.

When the Main Chancery was inaugurated, the Old Chancery became the Chancery Annex. In 1998, the Government of the Philippines signed an agreement to turn over the Old Chancery to a coalition of Filipino American organizations to serve as a center for community activities. However, the deal did not come to fruition and the Old Chancery underwent several renovations since.

The Consular Section is located at the first floor and third floor of the building. The former office of the ambassador on the second floor was converted into an event space and renamed as the Quezon Hall, after former resident commissioner and president Manuel L. Quezon. The fourth floor houses the Embassy’s Sentro Rizal, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office—Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Office of the Police Attaché.

Artworks of National Artist Fernando Amorsolo as well as contemporary Filipino artists can be seen in the building. The ground floor boasts an entryway lobby with hanging lamps from Kenneth Cobonpue (“Fandango”) and a wall mural by Mr. Dominic Rubio (“The Great Promenade of Philippine-American Friendship”) leading to the waiting area for consular applicants. On the second floor, Amorsolo’s Portrait of Manuel L. Quezon is the centerpiece of the Quezon Hall, and the multi-purpose room across is surrounded by several paintings from Filipino artists. The Ann Pamintuan’s metal furniture (“Cocoon”) are displayed at the Sentro Rizal on the fourth floor.

The building bears witness to several milestones throughout its history. In 1945, then-Resident Commissioner Carlos P. Romulo moved the Philippine flag to its peacetime position to officially mark “the coming of peace to the Philippines.” A year later, in July 1946, during the proclamation of Philippine independence, President Truman’s proclamation was read, the American flag was lowered, and the Philippine flag was raised.

In 1961, on the 19th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan, the two small streets bordering Scott Circle were named Bataan and Corregidor Streets as a reminder of the close ties between the Philippines and the United States, as well as the shared experience “in defense of democracy and freedom.”

The Old Chancery also witnessed the danger that diplomats face in their line of work. On 18 November 1974, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Eduardo Z. Romualdez and economic attaché Mario S. Lagdameo were held at gunpoint for 10 hours in the Ambassador’s office. Diosdado M. Lorenzo’s portrait of Andres Bonifacio, which bears a hole from a stray bullet during the incident, is displayed on the second floor of the Chancery Annex to this day. In 1983, a week after the assassination of Senator Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., three men hurled two firebombs in front of the Old Chancery, shattering the main doors. 

Due to its significance to our nation’s history, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines declared in 2018 the Old Chancery as a National Historical Landmark, the second structure to be designated as such outside of the Philippines. 

The Chancery Annex underwent a second renovation starting in 2018 with the renovation of the two-level mechanical room at the back of the building. In 2019, power wash cleaning of the building’s exteriors and ground repairs and hardscaping were completed. The public area on the first floor was expanded to give more space for clients, and the second floor men’s room was converted into a pantry that will be used for events. The offices and conference room of the Consular Section are now found on the third floor. The fourth floor was renovated into offices of partner agencies that  provide direct services to the public, and the Sentro Rizal. A steel perimeter fence was installed to improve the building’s security.