The Grande Dame of Washington: Hotel of Presidents
September 29, 2018
The Mayflower Hotel, Washington, DC opened on February 18, 1925 with 440 guestrooms. It is known as the “Grande Dame of Washington,” the “Hotel of Presidents,” and as the city’s “Second Best Address” (the White House is the first).
The Mayflower Hotel was built by Allen E. Walker who planned to name it The Hotel Walker. He retained Warren & Wetmore, architects who had designed New York’s Commodore, Biltmore, Ambassador Ritz-Carlton and Vanderbilt Hotels. The supervising architect was Robert F. Beresford who had worked for the Supervising Architect of the Treasury and the Superintendent of the Capitol. When Walker sold his interest to C.C. Mitchell & Company, the new owners changed the name to the Mayflower Hotel in honor of the 300th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock.