Made to preserve the quality and the richness and the absolute beauty of these waters. Were more about Saratoga Springs and other stops on our tour at cspan. Org citiestour. You are watching American History tv. Each week, american artifacts takes you to restore places to learn about American History. Located in the heart of washington, d. C. , the Willard Hotel has been a part of history for years. And the mark twain first japanese delegation to the u. S. In 1860. I represent the partnership that owns this wonderful asset and today you will hear a lot about its rich history. Hello, welcome to the Willard Hotel, located two blocks away from the white house. It is conveniently located near iconic monuments on the national mall. We are very fortunate to have this location. We give our thanks to captain john taylor, who was reputed to be one of virginias wealthiest plantation owners. He was a friend and supporter of george washington. In 1860, he built the twostory dwelling. You might wonder if this was a good investment for him, because the city of washington was not a city at all. It was more of a town. It was akin to a swap. Was a river ofit mud and filth. When it was dry, debris from construction building the president s mansion was everywhere. Tourists and people coming to the city found sparse accommodations. As washington, d. C. Grew as the capital, so did the Willard Hotel. Everything happened within 10 blocks of the white house. If you walked out the front door, exactly one mile from here is the capital, just on the other side is the Treasury Building and the white house. You can understand how people built their homes and the center of washington became this corner, 14th and pennsylvania avenue. Benjamin taylor realized that to keep pace with what was going on in other cities in the u. S. And to bring the modernization into the Hotel Business and into washington, he had to bring someone in to run the hotel. Between 1818 and 1847, there were several different managers. In 1847, Henry Willard became the manager. From that time forward, the Willard Family played a prominent role for the next 100 years. Henry willard came from vermont and was a very energetic businessman. He and his brother took a steamship on the hudson. He made it his practice to provide the best service to anybody on that ship. The fiancee of Benjamin Taylor met Henry Willard on a trip. She was impressed. When benjamin mentioned needing a manager, she recommended willard. In 1847, Henry Willard moved to washington to manage the hotel. He wanted a grand hotel to run on a grand plan. The city hotel at the time had 100 hotel rooms and a beautiful entrance. It had a womens entrance that went to a private lounge. There was entertainment almost every night. There was a private dining room for the ladies and gentlemen. Henry willard decided the hotel would be the finest in the city. It was reported that one of his routines was to leave the hotel at 3 00 every morning to pick fresh produce, meats, and fish. Politicians were not professional like that time. Congress did not meet yearround. So people who came to washington had to find places to stay. They often stayed in boarding houses or other peoples homes. Pennsylvania avenue was known as the avenue of america because there were so many hotels. The Willard Family, when they were brought in by the owners to upgrade the status of the property, wanted to bring in all of those things that people had been experiencing in other cities, including in europe and new york and philadelphia. Henry clay came to washington in 1808. So did bourbon. He discovered that washingtonians were drinking mint juleps with rum or brandy. He was appalled and decided to show people the proper way to make a mint julep. He used to rise people and showing them how to make a mint julep. Southern style, with kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. We continue to practice that legacy here, using henry clays original recipe. Traditionally, at the beginning of congress, he would bring a barrel of bourbon whiskey and invite members of congress on both sides of the aisle to join him in toasting the new legislative session. We just recently had kentucky distillers come to washington to honor the senator and the legacy that was established in the Willard Hotel. Senator henry clay was known as a great compromiser. What better way to compromise after battling on capitol hill then to retire to the bar at the Willard Hotel and have a mint julep . He was known as a great compromiser. John c calhoun was known as the great antagonizer and Daniel Webster was the great order. These three gentlemen really set the stage for the political battles that set up the war in the 1860s. The Willard Hotel was known as a place where people could get together in a bipartisan manner and discuss the issues of the day. Peacock alley was a womens section. In the 1850s, the city of washington was growing. They decided that the dwelling should be united. The frame was torn down and a new brick facade was added. It was a good time for the willards. One Franklin Pierce won, he became the first president to visit the Willard Hotel. It would host many president s. In addition to having congressman and businessmen stay at the hotel, the willards attracted foreign dignitaries, especially the japanese delegation. They were headed to the u. S. To visit with president buchanan. At that time there was no housing for dignitaries. That task fell to the willard. Rooms were recarpeted. Pantries were built in and fast and entire floor of 60 rooms was given to the delegation. Security was hired to take care of any annoyers. The japanese found our style of eating and clothing to be very foreign to them, but they enjoyed it. By the 1860s, the willard had attracted several groups of people. They continued to do this and at the beginning of the 1860s, washington was a focal point. We are now in the Abraham Lincoln suite. It is one of 41 suites. Abraham lincoln did not stay in this room. It was named after him. Lets go back to what washington was like in 1860. There was a lot of focus on military and political activity. Hotelstorian noted that demand was so great that hotels were able to raise their rates to four dollars per night. Willard hall was a large states large spacious room. A convention was held from february 4 through for board seventh in 1861 and it had 131 politicians from 21 states and former president tyler was chair of it. It failed, and the civil war started. The arrival of Abraham Lincoln to washington was met with excitement. War fever was growing. Maryland was sympathetic to the southern cause. Willard was concerned about the safety of Abraham Lincoln. So it was decided that Abraham Lincoln would be removed from the last railcar in the baltimore depot and taken to washington, d. C. He was smuggled in disguise through the ladies entrance and taken immediately to a suite in the second floor. When he arrived, a piece of paper from an envelope was delivered with the note, the president is here. He stayed for 10 days. When he introduced himself, his inauguration brought magnitudes of people to the hotel. The hotels were filled to the max and the willard found itself bringing in 475 mattresses. The first check he wrote was the Willard Hotel bill. Grant also stayed here. When he was here to check in, he did not have on his uniform and no one recognized him. So his room was not very nice. He came back multiple times. He liked to smoke a cigar and sit by the fire. A lot of businessmen took the opportunity of president grant sitting in the lobby to ask for favors. President grant called them lobbyists. The term originated in london but it was president grant that made a common in our vocabulary today. The sister of a famous lobbyist also stayed here. The willard offered stationary and it was on one of these pieces of stationary she used it to pen the patriotic and National Anthem of the northern cause. It is today a patriotic song throughout our lands. We also had john logan stay with us. He decided a day should be dedicated, may 30, to memorialize soldiers. Today we recognize that as an annual holiday called memorial day. Antonio ford was a famous spy. She was caught and imprisoned he fell inlard love with her and thought to get her released. Major willard resigned from the army and the two of them married. They had several children, one of them was born in the hotel. The Willard Family experienced tremendous success with the hotel during and after the war. As the country grew, the city grew. The 10 square blocks around the white house extended to the northwest up connecticut avenue. The Willard Family realized that in order to keep pace, they needed to upgrade the hotel. It do fall into disrepair, but it cannot keep up with what is going on in the rest of the city. So the second generation, joseph jr. , known as the captain, in 1901, he inherited the Willard Hotel. The extent of almost bringing his brothers and relatives together to Work Together and grow this property. He went to new york and brought in a number one architect who had built the waldorfastoria. He built the finest hotel that washington had ever seen. That project started in 1901. They did not want to lose business or the identity they had built over the last 100 years as the premier hotel residents. Residence. In the 1920s, they expanded the Willard Hotel to over 400 rooms. The structure was the tallest building in washington. There was a fantastic ballroom on the top floor. The top floor had a 30 foot ceiling and was able to accommodate over 1000 people. It was a magnificent structure. It was the cornerstone of Downtown Washington for many years. The Willard Hotel experienced tremendous success in the early 1900s. With the depression in the 1920s, as the rest of the country experienced depression, so did the Willard Hotel. Both financially and structurally. There was a fire in the ballroom in 1922 and they were unable to restore that area. During the depression, there is a story about the veterans from world war i. In the early 1930s they marched on washington to ask the government to release their pension money early. Rather than waiting until they were much older. They were camping by anacostia. The post family heard about their plight, that they were encamped in anacostia. She had her chauffeur drive her to the Willard Hotel, walked in, and asked to see the manager. She asked him if she could order 5000 sandwiches and lemonade and icet for the marchers, as well as several thousand packs of cigarettes. Eager to accommodate, the manager honored her request and had the items delivered to the marchers. That gives you kind of an idea how closely aligned the Willard Family, over 200 years, were aware of what the needs were of the city and its inhabitants, whether they were affluent or not. That tradition continued through the 1930s and 1940s. An interesting point is the fact , being inatent office close proximity, you had a lot of people visiting washington with new ideas, whether it be elevators, steam or gas engines, airconditioning, you name it. Those ideas would come across the willard, either in the lobby or at the roundrobin bar. Being as astute as they were, the family members always had their ear to the ground. They had Running Water and actual bathroom accommodations in individual rooms. Then you have the turn of the century. You had the new willard, as it was known in 1901 on the corner of 14th and pennsylvania. You had all these modern accommodations that bedazzled people. People who were visiting washington for the first time, visiting capitol hill and the white house, and here is this Beautiful Hotel with a grand lobby and peacock alley and modern conveniences that they were not used to at home. It is fascinating, talking to people who visited washington for the first time, in the 1940s during world war ii, Different Things they had experienced. I members spot i members talking i remember talking with a gentleman who had stayed at the Willard Hotel. It was said if you walked into the Willard Hotel and you had a uniform on, you were given accommodations if they were available. It was a welcoming place for all service members. Many people, their First Experience in washington was staying at the Willard Hotel when they were 18 or 19 years old prior to going overseas to fight in world war ii. I had the opportunity to meet many of these people when they did the dedication for the world war ii memorial. It was fascinating listen to them talk about the recollections of what it was like to be at the Willard Hotel in the 1940s. One gentleman said it was the middle of the summer and he had never been to a big city or on a train. He was staying at the Willard Hotel, and it was so hot, but the lobby was so cool and comfortable because they had these large vats of ice and large fans blowing cold air. He said he slept on two chairs off of the lobby for three nights because a was so comfortable. He still remembers that experience. It is that kind of experience that, you are talking with people about what it was like to attend a High School Graduation at the Willard Hotel in the 1950s. In the grand ballroom at the top floor were french doors that opened onto a balcony that overlooked the whole city. What a glorious place it was to visit. Sadly, the Willard Family decided to get out of the Hotel Business in the 1940s and they sold their interest to a new york group. The able group put half a Million Dollars into renovating and modernizing the hotel. A tradition that had started many years before, keeping the willard modern. They did a massive renovation of the hotel in terms of style and convenience. That continued into the 1960s. Washington, d. C. , as an urban area, changed considerably. The whole center of washington had moved. There was very little downtown in terms of residential for people. The entire shopping district and market area of washington had moved. Slowly, the hotel deteriorated in terms of good and services. By the 1960s, it was necessary to close the hotel. And when president john f. Kennedy traveled, he decided there had to be improvements to pennsylvania avenue. He created a development corporation. He wanted pennsylvania avenue to be the avenue of everyones dreams. The commission decided the Willard Hotel should be demolished and open park space should be created. An auction was held. Admission was one dollar. You are asked to bring chisels and hammers. The hotel was stripped of everything. In the lobby, you will see 48 tiles were removed. In the restoration, we restored them. Chandeliers were taken