“When Prince Anton Bibescu was appointed Minister to Washington, Commander Pantazi and his assistants were recalled to Romania. Pantazi had accumulated $100,000 in passport fees. These had not been authorized in Romania and no one wanted to accept responsibility for accepting the money. He put the money in the name of Bibescu who then used part of it to purchase a large house in Washington. It was a nice house but not suited for a Legation. The entrance on the first floor was on 23rd Street. A large hall on the right was the dining room and the living room was on the left. The living room was where the chancellery was installed even though it was too small for the administrative staff. From the hall, paved with large squares of white marble, there was a semi-circular stairway to the second floor, where Bibescu installed his office in the former library. He had bought beautifully bound books from England.
Across from the library was a large living room furnished with rare items and a piano. Between these two rooms was a large hall also used as a living room. On the third floor were five bedrooms each with a small bathroom and a small living room. This was the personal apartment of the Minister and his wife, daughter and her governess. Over this floor were several rooms and bathrooms for three servants who had access to the basement via an elevator.
In the basement were the kitchen, the servants’ dining room and the cook’s apartment. There was also a room with a bathroom for the chauffeur.”