By Caitlin Cooper

Ambassador Stuart Holliday and his wife Gwen love the rooms in the 1934 Tudor-style Spring Valley home where they raised their two sons. When asked about his favorite room, though, Ambassador Holliday directed us to the magnificent dining room at Meridian House on 16th Street where diplomats and private sector officials meet to exchange ideas. Holliday, former US Ambassador for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations, is Meridian’s president and CEO.

Meridian International Center hosts events, global exchanges, and ceremonies that strengthen America’s connection with the world. Holliday notes that there's something about sitting around Meridian House’s grand dining table that creates a conducive atmosphere to begin resolving differences. The room is dominated by an enormous 17th Century tapestry. It depicts the legendary reception given for Alexander the Great by Diogenes, a Greek philosopher known for his wit and his critiques of social conventions. Woven by Flemish artisans in England in wool and silk, it is one of Holliday’s favorite pieces in the house, not only because of its artistic value but also because of the dialogue it represents. When Alexander asked Diogenes if there was anything he could do for him, Diogenes replied simply, 'Yes, stand out of my sunlight.' It's a powerful and important reminder to those in the room that perspective matters.

“In diplomacy, we often gather individuals from vastly different cultures, resources, and philosophies,” Holliday says. “This tapestry, placed where leaders regularly sit together, subtly encourages humility, self-awareness, and respect for others’ viewpoints. It’s instructive. Whether you’re a head of state or a young emerging leader, the message is clear: true influence often comes not from asserting power, but from listening and making space for others.” 

Meridian House is one of two historic homes that comprise the Meridian International Center. Both are examples of classical French 18th-century architecture embodying perfect symmetry, inside and out. The structures have always been a hub for international activities and collaboration.

The two properties were originally owned by American Ambassadors Henry White and Irwin Laughlin, who were friends. They bought the land in 1910 and in 1912 after their careers in US foreign service. To build the homes, they each hired John Russell Pope, the renowned American architect who designed famous DC landmarks — The Jefferson Memorial, The National Archives, and The National Gallery of Art in the early 20th century. Ambassadors White and Laughlin raised their families in those houses. Diplomats today still sit around the original Laughlin family dining table that seats up to 35 guests.

Along with the grand tapestry, and the dining table, the room is furnished with Chinese bridal lamps, and portraits painted by Philippe de László, the Anglo-Hungarian painter known particularly for his portraits of royal and aristocratic personages. The fireplace back panel holds the Laughlin family crest. All the furnishings are symbols of Meridian House's enduring role as a crossroads of diplomacy, culture, and history. The space reflects the intention of its first owners, to host and inspire whomever enters the space.

In 1960, The State Department and the Ford Foundation acquired the Meridian House as a center for international leadership and diplomacy. It is a private 501(c)3, not-for-profit that has been empowering leaders, advancing American diplomacy and culture for 65 years. 

Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham also grew up at the White-Meyer house. In a 1998 address there, she said her late mother “very much wanted the houses to go on as they had when she lived in them and entertained people with ideas and the spirit to defend them—artists and writers and producers, diplomats and politicians—and many from abroad who came and stayed. It would have given her, as indeed it gives me, great pleasure to know that this has actually happened, that this house has been recreated by Meridian House International so that it looks very much as it did, and that it serves a useful purpose in terms of today’s societal needs—that it will be a center to help foreign visitors learn about this country and bring us their wisdom from abroad.”  

It’s that idea — encouraging wisdom from personal interactions between people of different sectors and nationalities — that attracted Holliday to become CEO of Meridian International Center in 2006 after serving in government under President Bush, the United Nations, the White House, and the State Department. A true Washingtonian, he grew up just over the hill from Spring Valley in Wesley Heights and attended Horace Mann Elementary School, St. Patrick’s for middle school, and then St. Albans. He has fond memories of going to the Spring Valley shopping center and Wagshals. The Hollidays moved to their 1934 tutor-style Spring Valley home in 2002 from Cleveland Park for more room to raise their two sons, now both in their 20s.