The Arlington Hotel was a hotel in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

. It was built in 1868 and was considered the most opulent hotel in Washington, D.C. during the post-

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

era, described as a "distinctive but low-keyed example of the Second Empire style." The hotel was located at Vermont Avenue and I Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C.

History

19th century

The hotel was built in 1868 and was expanded in 1889. It served as the

residence for several

U.S. government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executi ...

officials, including

Garret Hobart Garret Augustus Hobart (June 3, 1844 – November 21, 1899) was an American businessman and politician who was the 24th vice president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his death in 1899, under President William McKinley. A mem ...

, who served as the nation's 24th

U.S. vice president The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. Th ...

in the McKinley administration. Three-term

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

Thomas Brackett Reed Thomas Brackett Reed Jr. (October 18, 1839 – December 7, 1902) was an American attorney, author, parliamentarian and Republican Party politician from Maine who served as the 32nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 188 ...

, who also resided in the hotel, died there from

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

in December 1902. Several international notables also stayed at The Arlington Hotel during their visit to the nation's capital, including King Kalākaua of Hawaii, King

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. He is popularly referred to as the Knight King (, ) or Soldier King (, ) in Belgium in reference to his role during World War I ...

Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia (; in St. Petersburg – 14 November 1908 in Paris) was the fifth child and the fourth son of Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse), Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. ...

, and Emperor

Pedro II of Brazil ''Don (honorific), Dom'' PedroII (Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga; 2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed the Magnanimous (), was the List o ...

as well as industrialists and financial magnates

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

and

J. P. Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. As the head of the banking firm that ...

. In 1899, ''The Successful American'' magazine recognized the Arlington Hotel as "one of the foremost hotels of the country," reporting that the hotel had "sheltered every preeminent American for years and has been the temporary home of every potentate" visiting Washington, D.C. in the era.

20th century

In 1912, the hotel was demolished in order to proceed with plans to build an even larger hotel on the location. When financing fell through for the new hotel, however, the building and land were sold to the

in 1918, which built the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters on the property.

References

External links

"Arlington Hotel, Washington, D.C.
at the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...

Buildings and structures demolished in 1912 Defunct hotels in the United States Hotels disestablished in 1912 Hotels established in 1868 Hotels in Washington, D.C. {{US-hotel-stub