The Jefferson Hotel
| The Jefferson Hotel | |
|---|---|
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The Jefferson in July 2016
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| General information | |
| Location | United States |
| Address | 1200 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates | 38°54′14″N 77°02′13″W / 38.903996°N 77.036911°WCoordinates: 38°54′14″N 77°02′13″W / 38.903996°N 77.036911°W |
| Opening | 1955 |
| Cost | $900,000 (1922) |
| Owner | DC CAP Hotelier |
| Management | KOR Hotel Group |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Jules Henri de Sibour |
| Developer | The F. H. Smith Co. |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 99 (including suites) |
| Number of suites | 20 |
| Number of restaurants | 2 |
| Website | |
| jeffersondc.com | |
The Jefferson is a luxury boutique hotel located at 1200 16th Street NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was built from 1922 to 1923, and was initially an apartment building. After housing war workers during World War II, the structure was converted to a hotel in 1954. Although not noted for its luxury at that time, it was the favorite of theater and movie stars, musicians, and top government officials. It became better known for its luxury accommodations after a 1980 renovation, and became a Washington landmark. It was sold in 1989, 2000, and 2005, and underwent a two-year, multimillion-dollar renovation that revealed the building's original atrium skylight. It reopened in 2009.
The hotel is rated five stars by Forbes Travel Guide. U.S. News & World Report rated it the second-best luxury hotel in the United States in January 2016.
The F. H. Smith Corporation, a local real estate developer of apartment and office buildings, began construction on The Jefferson, an eight-story, 74-unit apartment building, in July 1922. Cost of construction was $900,000 ($12,877,336 in 2016 dollars), and the building was originally owned by The Jefferson Corporation. The architect was Jules Henri de Sibour, who designed the building in the Beaux-Arts architectural style. The building was named for Thomas Jefferson, the former President of the United States and Founding Father.
In April 1930, The Jefferson Corp. was forced into bankruptcy by its creditors. As the trial progressed, evidence emerged that the F. H. Smith Corp. had signed secret agreements to allow its chairman, G. Bryan Pitts, to occupy an entire floor of the building (17 rooms, including five baths) rent-free, which had caused The Jefferson Corporation's financial difficulties. Pitts and other F. H. Smith officers were charged with embezzlement. As the trial continued, a former Smith Corp. officer testified that he had destroyed evidence to cover up the crime. Pitts and several others were found guilty and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
In 1931, Alfred Robinson Glancy, a General Motors executive, purchased the building from the bankrupt Jefferson Corp. for an undisclosed sum.
The Jefferson partially converted to a hotel in 1941 to serve workers mobilizing for a potential war with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. It provided both short-term rentals (like a hotel) and residential needs. It eliminated its residential services and converted completely into a hotel in 1955.
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Wikipedia