The History of the
Willard Inter-Continental Washington
While covering the Civil War for The Atlantic Monthly, the famous American
writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, gave his description of the Willard:
�This hotel, in fact, may be much more justly called the center of Washington
and the Union than either the Capitol, the White House, or the State Department...
You exchange nods with governors of sovereign states; you elbow illustrious
men, and tread on the toes of generals; you hear statesmen and orators
speaking in their familiar tones. You are mixed up with office seekers,
wire pullers, inventors, artists, poets, prosers... until identity is lost
among them.�
The Site on Which the Willard Inter-Continental
Washington Now Stands
The site has served as a hostelry in some form since 1816. When Henry
Willard bought the property in 1850, the hotel�s history as a major force
in the social and political life of Washington began.
The hotel has hosted every president, as a sleeping guest or at a social
function, from Franklin Pierce in 1853 to Bill Clinton in the 1990s.
Lincoln at the Willard
Because of assassination threats, President-elect Abraham Lincoln was
smuggled into the Willard at dawn by Detective Alan Pinkerton, on 23rd
February 1861. Lincoln held staff meetings in front of the lobby fireplace
and The Willard was bursting at the seams on the eve of his inaugural,
with visitors packed ten to a room. He and his family of five stayed until
his inauguration on 4th March, and returned to the Willard to watch his
inaugural parade. Lincoln paid his Willard bill when he received his first
paycheck as president. The total for their ten-day stay, including meals,
was $773.75.
First Japanese Delegation to the US
The first group of Japanese ever to leave their island kingdom stayed
at the Willard in 1860. A delegation of three ambassadors and their retinue
of 74 came to Washington to sign the first trade and friendship treaties
between the countries. One of the delegates wrote, �The house of the secretary
of state is not as fine as the hotel.�
Civil War Looms
The Willard was the site of the Peace Convention from 4th February to
27th February 1861. Delegates from 21 of 34 states met in a last, desperate
attempt to avoid civil war. A plaque from the Virginia Civil War Commission,
paying tribute to this courageous effort, is mounted on the Pennsylvania
Avenue facade of the hotel.
Julia Ward Howe, while a guest at the hotel in 1861, was awakened by
the sound of Union soldiers marching under her window singing the popular
song �John Brown�s Body�. She had often thought that this song, which had
become something of an anthem for the Union troops, deserved more dignified
words. Mrs Howe rose from her bed and wrote the words for the song that
would inspire a nation - �The Battle Hymn of the Republic�.
Ulysses S Grant and the �Lobbyists�
President Ulysses S Grant, after a long day in the Oval Office, used
to escape the pressures of the presidency with a brandy and a cigar in
the Willard lobby where many would-be power brokers approached him on individual
causes. Grant called these people �lobbyists�.
The 1870s - Prosperity and Progress
The 1870s ushered an era of prosperity and progress for America and
The Willard continued to keep pace with the nation. Rooms now cost $4.00
a day, and even more luxurious accommodations were available with private
baths. The hotel installed mechanical elevators and sold Washington�s first
ice cream sodas. For the next 30 years, the Willard remained the center
of social and political activity in the capital.
A New Century, a New Willard
At the dawn of the twentieth century, one of Washington�s first skyscrapers
was taking shape in the form of The New Willard Hotel. The first phase
of the 12-story building opened in 1901. The architect, Henry Janeway Hardenbergh,
also designed The Plaza Hotel, The Dakota apartments and the original Waldorf-Astoria,
all in New York. The style is Second French Empire Beaux-Arts and the building
is one of the first steel structures in Washington.
Wilson and the League of Nations
In 1916, Woodrow Wilson held the meetings of the League to Enforce Peace,
the predecessor to the League of Nations, at the Willard. Wilson�s vice
president, Thomas Marshall, in criticizing the price of cigars at the hotel
newsstand, said, �What this country needs is a good, five-cent cigar.�
Coolidge Waits at the Willard
The Willard became the official presidential residence for nearly a
month in 1923. Calvin Coolidge took up residence at the hotel while he
was vice president and remained while the newly-widowed Mrs Warren Harding
packed her belongings and vacated the White House. The presidential flag
flew in front of the hotel during that time. That same flag was flown when
President Reagan was a dinner guest at the hotel in September 1986.
Celebrities
The Willard�s famous guests have included: Jenny Lind, PT Barnum, Mark
Twain, Walt Whitman, Tom Thumb, Samuel Morse, the Duke of Windsor, Flo
Ziegfield, Harry Houdini, the Barrymores, Mae West, Gloria Swanson and
Gypsy Rose Lee. Henry Clay mixed the first mint julep in Washington in
the Round Robin Bar. More recent guests have included over 70 heads of
state, including the King of Jordan, the King of Morocco and the Queen
of Thailand.
The Struggle to Save the Willard
The Willard family sold their interest in the hotel in 1946. The hotel
continued to operate until 1968 when its doors were closed. After a long
legal battle, the newly created Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation
was given authority and funding to purchase the hotel and property. The
Washington-based Oliver Carr Company, managing general partner of the ownership
entity, teamed with Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts, directed the
meticulous restoration of the hotel. Also, Carr expanded the complex to
include the Willard Office Building and the Willard Collection of retail
shops. Willard Inter-Continental Washington opened its doors on the 20th
August 1986 and celebrated the formal Grand Opening on 22nd to 26th September
1986.
As a result of major restoration, the Willard Inter-Continental Washington
is once again the scene of major meetings, gala social events and sumptuous
dinners in elegant dining rooms. Heads of state again stride through the
vast lobby, celebrities and senators stroll under the chandeliers of Peacock
Alley, glasses are raised once more in the Round Robin Bar, and crowned
heads again rest in lavishly appointed suites. The gracious service of
a bygone era is evident everywhere as the Willard Inter-Continental Washington
enters a new era in its long and illustrious history as one of America�s
most notable hotels. |