History
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The Rodgers House stood on this site and was where Secretary of State William H. Seward, on March 30, 1867, signed the treaty with Russia to purchase Russia-America, now the State of Alaska. It also served as the home of Secretary of State James G. Blaine, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, Secretary of the Navy James K. Paulding, and Secretary of War William Worth Belknap. President James K. Polk occupied the house in the summer of 1845 during a renovation of the White House. It was later replaced by the Lafayette Square Opera House, which was renamed the Belasco Theater in 1905. In 1942 the building became the Stage Door Canteen for members of the Armed Forces, and after World War II it served as the U.S.O. until it was razed in 1964 to make way for the courts building.
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Washington, District of Columbia · United States
