DC Gentrification

For one of the most long-standing examples of DC’s ever-changing history, we need look no further than the Hay-Adam Hotel. The luxury accommodations are built on the site of the 1885 homes of John Hay (Abraham Lincoln’s private secretary and assistant) and Henry Adams (the historian and academic who wrote the 1907 autobiography The Education of Henry Adams). Prominent D.C. architect Mihran Mesrobian designed the hotel, which was constructed in 1928, based on inspiration from the Italian Renaissance. Other DC landmarks designed by Mesrobian include the Wardman Tower, Sedgwick Gardens, and Calvert Manor.Over the years, the Hay-Adams hotel has itself become a site of some historical renown, and numerous renovations have kept the hotel concurrent with the changing times. Author Sinclair Lewis, aviators Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh, and actress Ethel Barrymore (Drew’s great-aunt) were just a few of the personages to sleep within the hotel’s rooms. Henry Adams’s wife Marian Hooper Adams is reported to be a permanent guest since her 1885 suicide on the site (before the hotel was built). She’s said to be followed by the smell of mimosa. Before his inauguration, President Barack Obama and his family became the latest celebrities to spend the nighttwo whole weeks’ worth.The hotel has 145 rooms and 20 suites. The Top of the Hay rooftop terrace is the latest addition to the hotel, offering a unique atmosphere for private events. On the other end of the Hay, deep in the basement, is the bar Off the Record, a frequent hang-out for politicians and everymen alike. The Lafayette, the Hay-Adams’s other dining option, provides breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. At night, pianist Tom Vogt serenades the diners, just as he has for over 17 years.