The Octagon House, located in Washington D.C, United States of America is, despite its name, shaped like a hexagon. In the center of the building is a large winding staircase, which serves as a corridor leading to the rooms. It was built to maximize space on the small lot on which it is built. The Octagon House, as it came to be known, was completed in 1801 in the very early days of the new federal city. Constructed for John Tayloe III and his wife Ann Ogle Tayloe, and designed by Dr. William Thornton—the first architect of the Capitol—the house was a prominent statement of support for the new capital city from one of Virginia’s most prominent families.