Diego's Hair Salon is a hairdressing shop located in the
Dupont Circle neighborhood of
Washington, D.C., United States. Founded in the 1960s by
Italian American
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...
Diego D'Ambrosio, the salon has become a neighborhood institution frequented by politicians, religious leaders, diplomats, and
Supreme Court Justices
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of ...
.
D'Ambrosio's contributions to the community were recognized by the city of Washington, D.C., which renamed a nearby street in his honor, and by the Italian government, which named him to the
Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity. He died in late October 2021 at the age of 87.
History
Two years after D'Ambrosio emigrated from
Italy to the United States in 1961, he began working in his first hair salon.
D'Ambrosio opened his own shop in 1965.
Around 1980, he moved his business to its current location, The Moorings, a nautical-themed, former apartment building at 1901 Q Street,
N.W., in Dupont Circle.
contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...
to the Dupont Circle Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
When he moved to The Moorings, D'Ambrosio raised the price of men's haircuts to $20,[ the same rate he charged for about 35 years until he changed it to $25 in March 2016. Rupert Cornwell of '' The Independent'' described Diego's as a "modest and friendly establishment and the photos on its walls capture Washington: unglamorous but beautiful, exuding power yet oddly homey, with history around every corner and great men's shadows on every wall."]
D'Ambrosio's honors
In 2009, D'Ambrosio was awarded the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity at the Italian Embassy, in recognition of his promotion of his Italian heritage.[ On April 23, 2010, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty joined other local government officials in designating the 1900 block of Q Street, N.W., as Diego D’Ambrosio Way (an alternative street name). The Diego D'Ambrosio Way Designation Act of 2010 "officially recognizes Diego's contributions to District of Columbia residents and the city’s business community."][
]
Famous clientele
Diego's customers have included Supreme Court Justices Warren E. Burger
Warren Earl Burger (September 17, 1907 – June 25, 1995) was an American attorney and jurist who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the William Mitchell ...
and William Rehnquist, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former British Prime Minister John Major
Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
, Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl, Apostolic Nuncio Pietro Sambi
Pietro Sambi (27 June 1938 – 27 July 2011) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1969 until his death in 2011. He had the rank of archbishop and the title of nuncio from 1985, fulfilling ...
, former Italian ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta, Mayor Adrian Fenty, and members of the D.C. Council.[
]
References
External links
{{Commons category, Diego's Hair Salon
"Ask Diego"
video by '' Politico''
"The Barber of Dupont"
video by '' The Washington Times''
"A glimpse into the famous Diego's Hair Salon"
video by '' The Washington Post''
"Dupont Circle honors stylist who serves as neighborhood's 'foundation stone'"
photo gallery by '' The Washington Post''
Privately held companies based in Washington, D.C.
American companies established in 1965
Retail companies established in 1965
1965 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Dupont Circle
Hair salons
Italian-American culture in Washington, D.C.