Friday, October 14, 2022,  at 6:00 pm

$65 per person - dinner & program

$25 per person - cocktail & program only

2017 I Street, the historic home of the Arts Club of Washington, is a property with many names. Most commonly known as the James Monroe House, 2017 is on the historic registry due to its association with Cleveland Abbe. The Club purchased 2017 from the Abbe estate.

Cleveland Abbe is commonly known as America’s first weather forecaster. Sean Potter’s recent biography of Abbe is set against the backdrop of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century international events and scientific advancements, this first-of-its-kind biography of Abbe explores both his personal life and his scientific career. It details his time spent in Russia in the mid-1860s--as the Civil War raged and a president was assassinated back home--in part through letters with his parents. Decades of diaries and correspondence from the Cleveland Abbe Papers at the Library of Congress, as well as first-person accounts, illuminate this intimate portrait of a mild-mannered family man whose thirst for knowledge drove him to become a giant in an emerging scientific field.

The evening will feature a discussion of Mr. Potter’s book and the unveiling of recently commissioned portrait of Cleveland Abbe. The portrait will hang in the Club’s foyer.

6:00 pm - cocktail hour

7:00 pm - program

7:45 pm - dinner

A reservation is required by 5 pm the day before. Due to the construction of the kitchen food has to be ordered in advance and we only have a certain number of tickets available. Please RSVP early, we regret that if we reach our maximum we will not be able to accommodate other reservations.