Washington Hilton

Washington Hilton
General information
Location 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, District of Columbia
Opening June 20, 1965
Management Hilton Worldwide
Technical details
Floor count 12
Design and construction
Architect William B. Tabler Architects
Developer Uris Buildings Corporation
Other information
Number of rooms 1,070
Number of suites 47
Number of restaurants Four Oaks, McClellan's Sports Bar
Website
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/DCAWHHH-Washington-Hilton-District-of-Columbia/index.do

The Washington Hilton,[1][2] which was officially known as the Hilton Washington for a period in the early 21st century and is sometimes referred to colloquially as the Hinckley Hilton[3][4][5] by locals, is a hotel in Washington, D.C. It is located at 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., roughly at the boundaries of the Kalorama, Dupont Circle, and Adams Morgan neighborhoods.

Designed by architect William B. Tabler[6] and developed by Uris Buildings Corporation[7] and built in 1965 in a double-arched design, the hotel long sported the largest pillar-less hotel ballroom in the city. Numerous large events have been regularly hosted at the Hilton Washington, including the annual dinners of the White House Correspondents Association and the Radio and Television Correspondents Association, as well as the National Prayer Breakfast.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the hotel hosted a number of big musical acts for concerts in their large ballroom, including The Doors and Jimi Hendrix.[8][9] In 1972 it was home to the first International Conference on Computer Communications which demonstrated new ARPANET technology.

The hotel was the site of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, Jr. on March 30, 1981. The attempt occurred at the hotel's T Street NW exit.

Every February, the Hotel plays host to Georgetown University's North American Invitational Model United Nations conference (NAIMUN), where thousands of high-school students from around the world debate as delegates in historical and modern-day committees.[10]

The hotel was purchased in June 2007 by an investment firm jointly owned by former professional basketball star Magic Johnson.[11]

References

  1. See, e.g., Big Ballroom at the Washington Hilton, Albuquerque Journal online edition, February 3, 2007; Hillary Profita, Behind The Scenes Of History: Covering The President On March 30, 1981, CBS News, March 30, 2006; The Spa at the Washington Hilton, Washingtonpost.com
  2. See generally Google Search: "The Washington Hilton"
  3. Harry Jaffe, Prepping for the protests, Salon.com, April 15, 2000
  4. Barry Svrluga, National Pastime (2006), excerpted at
  5. Denis Dutton, The White House Press Correspondents’ Dinner, Sunday Star Times (New Zealand), May 7, 2006
  6. Dunlap, David W. "William B. Tabler Sr., Architect of Hilton Hotels, Dies at 89." New York Times. February 10, 2004.
  7. Kihss, Peter. "Harold Uris, Skyscraper Developer and Philanthropist, Is Dead At 76." New York Times. March 29, 1982.
  8. "Ladies and Gentlement, From Los Angeles, California ... The Doors!". Ghosts of DC. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  9. "Hendrix Plays the Washington Hilton (1968)". Ghosts of DC. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  10. "Conference". NAIMUN LVI. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  11. Charlotte Business Journal

Coordinates: 38°54′59″N 77°02′43″W / 38.9163°N 77.0452°W / 38.9163; -77.0452

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