Asia Society Buys Historic Washington Mansion for $17.5 Million

The Asia Society has purchased a historic Washington building for US$17.5 million, giving the 70-year-old institution a permanent base alongside other US capital think tanks.

The announcement came on Thursday, a day after the organisation closed on the 15,000-square-foot James G. Blaine Mansion.

A permanent Washington base

The Gilded Age building will house the Asia Society’s offices, state-of-the-art conference facilities and meeting spaces.

The property also includes a 7,000-square-foot penthouse with a private pool.

The purchase marks the institution’s effort to establish a lasting presence on Washington’s policy landscape, alongside think tanks in the US capital that date back more than a century.

The Asia Society was founded by the grandson of oil mogul John D. Rockefeller.

For much of its history, the 70-year-old institution focused on arts, culture and education.

In recent years, it has also placed greater emphasis on public policy under former Australian prime minister and Asia Society President Kevin Rudd.

That policy focus will be represented at the new location through the Asia Society’s Policy Institute and its China Centre.

“The Blaine Mansion is the ideal Washington location for our Policy Institute and its China Centre,” Rudd said in a statement.

The building’s offices and meeting facilities will provide the setting for the institution’s work in Washington.

Source: South China Morning Post