Willard InterContinental Washington
Corporate brand
UnclaimedHistoric luxury hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., recognized for its presidential, diplomatic, cultural, and political associations.
Last updated August 21, 2026
Overview
The Willard InterContinental Washington, commonly called the Willard Hotel, is a historic luxury hotel at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in downtown Washington, D.C. Located two blocks east of the White House and close to the U.S. Capitol, it occupies an unusually prominent position in the civic and ceremonial life of the United States. The property is known for its Beaux-Arts architecture, grand public rooms, formal hospitality, and long association with presidents, vice-presidents, diplomats, writers, entertainers, military figures, and political organizations. The hotel traces its history to six small houses built on the site in 1816 by Colonel John Tayloe III. The buildings operated under several names before Henry Willard leased them in 1847, joined them into a single establishment, expanded the premises, and renamed the business Willard's Hotel. Willard later purchased the property, although the transaction produced a currency dispute that reached the Supreme Court in Willard v. Tayloe. The Court's 1869 decision required payment in gold coin while leaving the agreed purchase price unchanged. The Willard became a center of Washington's social and political life during the nineteenth century. A Japanese diplomatic mission stayed there in 1860, the Peace Congress met there in early 1861 in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln stayed at the hotel before his inauguration after being secretly brought there amid assassination concerns. Julia Ward Howe wrote the lyrics of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” while staying at the property in 1861. The hotel also became associated with presidents and vice-presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, Calvin Coolidge, and others. The popular claim that the political term “lobbying” originated with visitors approaching Grant in the Willard lobby is widely repeated by the hotel, although the word predates that association. The present twelve-story building, designed in the Beaux-Arts style by architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, opened in 1901. A major fire in 1922 disrupted the building while Vice President Calvin Coolidge and numerous political and business figures were present for the annual Gridiron Dinner. The Willard family sold its interest in 1946. After years of declining business and deteriorating conditions around Pennsylvania Avenue, the hotel closed unexpectedly in 1968 and remained vacant while demolition and redevelopment proposals circulated. A succession of public and private redevelopment efforts eventually led to a rehabilitation project involving the Oliver Carr Company and Golding Associates. InterContinental Hotels Group joined the project as a part-owner and operator. The restored hotel reopened on August 20, 1986, bringing back its historic public spaces while adding an office-building wing. Further restoration work took place in the late 1990s. Today, the property operates as an upscale InterContinental hotel with guest rooms and suites, restaurants and bars, meeting and event facilities, and the Peacock Alley retail area. The Round Robin Bar is one of its best-known spaces. Its membership in Historic Hotels of America and its continuing use for diplomatic, governmental, cultural, and corporate events reinforce a positioning built on heritage, location, and ceremonial luxury rather than on mass-market accommodation.
History
The site at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW originally contained six small houses constructed in 1816 by Colonel John Tayloe III. The buildings were leased for hotel use and passed through several names, including Tennison's Hotel, Williamson's Mansion Hotel, Fullers American House, and the City Hotel. By the 1840s the structures had deteriorated, and Tayloe's family sought a tenant capable of consolidating and operating them successfully. In 1847, Henry Willard, formerly a chief steward on the steamer Niagara, leased the buildings. He combined them into one hotel, expanded the premises to four stories, and gave the establishment his name. Willard purchased the property in 1864. A disagreement over whether the price should be paid in paper currency or gold coin led to the Supreme Court case Willard v. Tayloe, decided in 1869. The Court kept the original price but required payment in gold, which had retained greater value than paper currency during the period in question. During the nineteenth century, Willard's Hotel became a major meeting place for Washington's political and diplomatic communities. A Japanese embassy delegation stayed there in 1860, attracting considerable public attention. In February 1861, delegates from 21 states gathered at the hotel for the Peace Congress, an unsuccessful effort to avert the approaching Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was brought secretly to the hotel in February 1861 because of assassination threats and remained there until his inauguration. The property later hosted political conventions, fraternal meetings, scientific gatherings, and presidential and diplomatic visitors. The current twelve-story building opened in 1901. Designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, it adopted a Beaux-Arts architectural vocabulary suited to the monumental Pennsylvania Avenue setting. The building's reputation as a presidential residence grew over time: the hotel states that every president since Franklin Pierce has either stayed there or attended an event there. Several vice-presidents also lived at the property during their terms. The hotel became associated with the phrase “residence of presidents,” although its broader importance extends beyond presidential lodging to diplomacy, lobbying, journalism, literature, entertainment, and national political life. A serious fire in April 1922 caused extensive disruption and reported damage. Calvin Coolidge, then vice-president, was among those evacuated, as were senators and other attendees of the Gridiron Dinner. In the interwar and wartime periods, the hotel continued to serve as a place for official and organizational activity. During World War II, the British government rented several floors for its supply organization, and Jean Monnet maintained an office there. In 1935, William P. MacCracken Jr., who had been convicted of contempt of Congress in connection with the Air Mail scandal, was temporarily confined in a hotel room because authorities lacked a suitable local holding facility. The Willard family sold its share in 1946. Later mismanagement, changing urban conditions, and the decline of the surrounding area contributed to the hotel's closure on July 16, 1968. The vacant building faced possible demolition and passed through a complicated sequence of proposed uses and public interventions. The National American Indian Council announced a purchase in 1975, but the project did not ultimately stabilize the property. The building later came under a form of public receivership and was sold to the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation. A redevelopment competition resulted in the selection of the Oliver Carr Company and Golding Associates. They partnered with InterContinental Hotels Group, which became both an operating and ownership participant. The project restored the historic hotel to a version of its turn-of-the-century character and added an office-building wing. The hotel reopened on August 20, 1986, at a ceremony attended by Supreme Court justices and senators. Additional major restoration work followed in the late 1990s. The modern Willard operates as an InterContinental luxury property. Its offer includes rooms and suites, restaurants, the Round Robin Bar, Peacock Alley shops, and substantial meeting and event areas. Its historical associations remain central to its brand identity. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote portions of his “I Have a Dream” speech while staying at the hotel in 1963, and the property has continued to receive heads of government, ministers, celebrities, business leaders, and organizations. It is a member of Historic Hotels of America and has maintained a strong reputation as a landmark Washington hotel.
- 2021
Hotel associated with pre-January 6 election challenge activities
[1]Rooms and suites were used as an informal organizing center by people involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
- 1990
Late-1990s restoration
[1]The hotel underwent another substantial restoration during the late 1990s.
- 1986
Restored hotel reopens
[1]After redevelopment and restoration, the Willard reopened as an InterContinental-associated luxury hotel.
- 1968
Hotel closes
[1]The property closed unexpectedly after years of decline and remained vacant for an extended period.
- 1922
Major hotel fire
[1]A major fire caused substantial damage and forced the evacuation of Coolidge and other prominent occupants.
- 1901
Current Beaux-Arts building opens
[1]The present twelve-story hotel, designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, opened to guests.
- 1869
Supreme Court resolves the Willard-Tayloe currency dispute
[1]Willard v. Tayloe established that the purchase price was payable in gold coin rather than depreciated paper currency.
- 1861
Peace Congress meets at the Willard
[1]Delegates from 21 states met at the hotel in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the Civil War.
- 1861
Abraham Lincoln stays before his inauguration
[1]Lincoln was brought to the hotel amid assassination concerns and remained there until his inauguration.
- 1860
First Japanese diplomatic delegation stays at the hotel
[1]The first official Japanese delegation to travel to the United States lodged at the Willard with other members of its mission.
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Products and positioning
A landmark, heritage-focused luxury hotel combining historic Washington identity, formal service, diplomatic proximity, and modern InterContinental hospitality.
Accommodation
Guest rooms and suites
The hotel's core offering is upscale accommodation in a landmark Pennsylvania Avenue building. Rooms and suites are marketed around historic surroundings, formal service, and proximity to the White House, government offices, museums, and downtown Washington.
Food and beverage
Round Robin Bar
The Round Robin Bar is the property's signature bar and one of its best-known historic spaces. Its identity is tied to the hotel's long political and social history and to the broader tradition of Washington hospitality.
Food and beverage
Restaurants and dining
The hotel operates several dining venues serving resident guests, visitors, and event attendees. Dining is positioned as part of the property's full-service luxury and historic-hotel experience.
Events and hospitality
Meetings and events
Historic rooms and larger function spaces support conferences, receptions, weddings, political gatherings, diplomatic events, and corporate functions. The Willard Room and Douglas Room are among the spaces associated with the hotel's event business.
Retail
Peacock Alley
Peacock Alley is a series of high-end shops incorporated into the hotel complex, extending the property beyond lodging and dining into boutique retail.
Controversies
2021
Use of hotel rooms in efforts to overturn the 2020 election
In the days before the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, rooms and suites at the Willard were used as an informal command center by individuals associated with a White House effort to challenge the 2020 election outcome. Rudolph Giuliani was identified as a leading figure associated with the hotel-based activity.
Brand decisions
1986
Historic restoration and InterContinental redevelopmentStrategyBackground
After closing in 1968 and facing possible demolition, the vacant property required a major public-private redevelopment effort.
Action taken
The Oliver Carr Company and Golding Associates undertook the rehabilitation and brought InterContinental Hotels Group into the project as an owner and operator.
Aftermath
The restored hotel reopened on August 20, 1986, combining preserved historic character with modern luxury-hotel operations and an added office wing.
1847
Consolidation of the original hotel buildingsStrategyBackground
The six small buildings on the site had changed names and fallen into poor condition, creating a need for a more coherent and commercially viable operation.
Action taken
Henry Willard leased the buildings, merged them into one hotel, expanded the premises, and placed his name on the property.
Aftermath
The consolidation created the institutional predecessor of the modern Willard Hotel and established its long-running identity on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Recent events
- 1986
Historic Willard reopens after restoration[1]
Other
The restored hotel reopened on August 20 following a major redevelopment project involving the Oliver Carr Company, Golding Associates, and InterContinental Hotels Group.
- 1968
Willard Hotel closes after long decline[1]
Other
The hotel closed without advance notice on July 16 after years of mismanagement, declining business, and deterioration in the surrounding Pennsylvania Avenue area.
- 1922
Willard Hotel damaged by a major fire[1]
Other
A major fire affected the hotel while Vice President Calvin Coolidge and many political and business guests were present for the annual Gridiron Dinner. The incident required the evacuation of numerous prominent occupants.
Sources1 sources
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