Opening 1928 Developer Harry Wardman | Architect Mihran Mesrobian Number of rooms 145 | |
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Location Lafayette Square
Sixteenth & H Streets
N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006 Management The Hay-Adams Management Company LLC | ||
The Hay–Adams is a luxury hotel located at 800 16th Street NW in Washington, D.C. Lafayette Square and St. John's Episcopal Church, also known as the Church of the Presidents, are located across the street. The hotel is a contributing property to the Lafayette Square Historic District and a member of the Historic Hotels of America.
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The hotel occupies the site where the 1885 homes of John Hay and Henry Adams once stood at 16th and H Streets NW. In 1927, Harry Wardman bought the property and razed the homes. The hotel, designed by Mihran Mesrobian, was built on the site in 1928 in Italian Renaissance style.
The Hay–Adams' slogan is "Where nothing is overlooked but the White House."
History
The Hay–Adams was purchased in the 1930s by hotel magnate Julius Manger who owned 18 hotels in New York City alone. During the depression he sought to increase his hostelry holdings in the U.S. capital city of Washington, D.C., which he felt was a safe investment. Manger bought the Hay Adams House in 1933 where he resided until his death in March 1937. He also purchased the Annapolis and Hamilton hotels located in Washington, D.C. At the time of his death Manger was the largest independent hotel operator in the United States. The Manger family owned the Hay Adams from 1933 to 1973, during which time the hotel was known as the Manger Hay-Adams. In 2006, B. F. Saul Company, a D.C.-area real estate company, bought the Hay-Adams for $100 million.
President Obama and his family stayed in the Hay–Adams for a period of two weeks prior to his inauguration because the Blair House was occupied.
Haunting
The Hay–Adams is said to be haunted by Henry Adams's beloved wife, "Clover" (Marian Hooper Adams), who committed suicide on this site in 1885, before the hotel was built. Her spirit is said to be walking the floors, trailed by the scent of almond. Potassium cyanide, the home darkroom chemical she ingested, smells like almonds.
Rating
The AAA gave the hotel four diamonds out of five in 1984. The hotel has maintained that rating every year, and received four diamonds again for 2016. Forbes Travel Guide (formerly known as Mobil Guide) awarded the hotel four out of five stars as well in 2016.