Lost Washington: the Lafayette Hotel

The Lafayette Hotel was completed in early 1916 and continued its stately presence on the southeast corner of 16th and I streets, NW, until it closed in 1971.

In December of 1915, while still under construction, owner Thomas H. Pickford announced that the hotel had been leased to J. H. Paris and associates for a term of years at $100,000. Mere months after the Lafayette opened, construction commenced once again.

Anticipating crowds for Woodrow Wilson’s second inauguration, by October work was in full swing to expand the dining room. Walls were removed and areas formerly used as offices were combined to create a new dining room that could accommodate more than 250 persons. A new wing was also planned to begin in January of 1917.

The Lafayette was a profitable hotel until the 1968 riots and employed about 100 staff. By 1971, the sluggish economy, coupled with more hotels moving to the suburbs, furthered the drop in D.C. hotel occupancy to an average of 59.6% in the first five months of the year, off 11.6% from the previous year. On July 15, 1971, when the Lafayette closed its registration books, only 30 to 40 of its 140 rooms were occupied.

Yet it was not the decline in the hotel industry that lead to its demise. About two and a half years earlier, the AFL-CIO had purchased the property for about $2.25 million with the intent to raze the Lafayette and enlarge their own national headquarters located next door, which they ultimately did.

Sources consulted:

“Additions to Hotels: Hostelries Already Preparing for Inauguration Crowds.” The Washington Post, October 1, 1916, R2.

“Lafayette Closes as Hotel Occupancy in D.C. Declines.” The Washington Post, July 16, 1971, D8.

“Lafayette Hotel is Leased.” The Washington Post, December 2, 1915, p.3.