The Hay-Adams Hotel (Washington, D.C.)

 hotel, 1928_construction, Renaissance Revival (architecture)

800 16th Street NW
Washington D.C., DC 20006
(202) 638-6600
www.hayadams.com

Located on Lafayette Square across from the White House, The Hay-Adams is a revered landmark in Washington, DC. This classic hotel is named after the distinguished residents who previously lived on its site: John Hay, Private Assistant to President Abraham Lincoln and later Secretary of State, and Henry Adams, an acclaimed author and descendant of U.S. Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

The site has long been a favorite gathering place in the nation's capital. In fact, Hay, Adams, their wives, Clara and Marian and geologist Clarence King formed a close group of friends who dubbed themselves “The Five of Hearts.” They even had china and letterhead made that featured the moniker.

In 1884, the Hays and Adamses bought adjoining lots at 16th and H Streets. Renowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson designed elaborate, Romanesque homes that became Washington's leading salons for years. The stimulating discussions of politics, literature, science and art attracted the era's leading artists, writers and politicians, including sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Henry James, Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain.

Hay died in 1905, and after Clara died in 1914, ownership of the Hay house passed to their daughter Alice Wadsworth and her husband, Senator James Wadsworth. After Adams died in 1918, the Wadsworths bought his house, which they leased to the Brazilian Embassy.
The Hay-Adams Hotel

Washington developer Harry Wardman bought and razed both homes in 1927. In their place, he constructed an Italian Renaissance-style apartment-hotel designed by architect Mirhan Mesrobian. The 138-room Hay-Adams House cost $900,000. It featured a dazzling array of architectural elements, including Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders, walnut wainscoting and intricate ceiling treatments with Tudor, Elizabethan and Italian motifs. Wood paneling from the Hay residence found a new home in the grand public space now known as the John Hay Room.

The Hay-Adams House opened in 1928 and quickly attracted prominent Washingtonians and elite travelers, including Ethel Barrymore, Amelia Earhart, Sinclair Lewis and Charles Lindbergh. Guests were drawn to the hotel by its unparalleled views of the White House, Lafayette Square and St. John's Church, as well as such amenities as large suites, kitchens, steam heat, elevators, circulating ice water, and, in 1930, Washington's first air-conditioned dining room.
Rebirth of a Washington Classic

In 2001, the hotel closed its doors for a major renovation. In the spring of 2002, the Hay-Adams re-emerged, stunningly restored with its unique ambiance enhanced with distinctive luxury features orchestrated by widely acclaimed Washington designer, Thomas Pheasant.

The Hay-Adams has maintained its reputation over the years due to the dedication and sensitivities of its private owners.

The spirit of hospitality originated by the John Hay and Henry Adams households lives on at the Hay-Adams today. The stability and strength of its management and staff combined with distinctive luxury features create the residence of choice for discriminating visitors and an elegant oasis for the citizens of Washington.