Name: Willard Hotel
Client: Henry Willard
Address: 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC
Architect: Henry J Hardenbergh
Style: Beaux-Arts
Description: The Willard InterContinental Washington DC, commonly known simply as the Willard Hotel, is a historic and refined Beaux‑Arts landmark located at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in downtown Washington, D.C., just two blocks from the White House and Metro Center. The story begins in 1816, when six two‑story row houses occupied the site; these were unified and expanded under Henry Willard in 1847 into a grand hotel that quickly earned the nickname “the Residence of Presidents” for hosting nearly every U.S. president since Franklin Pierce in 1853. The current hotel building, designed by architect Henry J Hardenbergh, the same architect behind New York’s Hotel Plaza and Waldorf Astoria was completed in 1904, rising twelve stories as Washington’s first skyscraper, later expanded in 1925. Architecturally, it combines turn‑of‑the‑century grandeur with modern luxury, offering spacious guest rooms, elegant function halls, and signature venues such as Peacock Alley, the Round Robin Bar, and Café du Parc.
Beyond its architectural significance, the Willard Hotel is deeply woven into U.S. history and culture. In February 1861, Abraham Lincoln was famously smuggled into its lobby by Allan Pinkerton and stayed there until his inauguration, conducting staff meetings in its iconic public rooms; during that same year, Julia Ward Howe composed “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” while staying at the hotel. The hotel has been a meeting place for Civil War peace conferences, literary figures like Mark Twain and Walt Whitman, and political events including Martin Luther King Jr.’s final edits to his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. After closing in 1968 and standing vacant for nearly two decades, the Willard underwent a meticulous restoration and reopened in 1986 as the Willard InterContinental Washington, fully revitalized and reaffirmed as a premier venue for historic luxury and social prestige
Related Buildings:
The Plaza Hotel, New York NY
The San Remo, New York NY
More Reading:
The Willard Hotel Website
I Went To D.C.’s Most Famous Holiday Tea Here’s What It Was Like
Willard Hotel DC Preservation