Hotels near the Capitol have always been an important part of the local landscape. Some have had connections back to the founding fathers, whether because they were once owned by George Washington, had Presidents living there or were the site of famous Presidential parties. Others had more infamy attached to them, as various shady people did their business there more or less openly.
And then there were those that seem to have managed to dodge most of this notoriety, and simply existed as a place for people to stay for longer or shorter amounts of time. This was exactly what the Senate Hotel represented from its opening in 1917.
The hotel was built on D Street NE, just east of First Street. It was built by Guy McCord, who had previously owned a smaller establishment with a store below and dwelling units above. McCord, who can be seen up on the left, had the contractor Guy Zepp build him a four-story building with 40 guest rooms –some of which even came with private baths!
McCord apparently did not believe much in marketing, as none of the newspapers of the day seem to have announced the opening of the hotel. Its main claim to fame was that it was fireproof, as a sign on its roof proclaimed to all who came by. Otherwise, McCord does not seem to have spent much on advertising. Nonetheless, it seems to have done quite well from the outset, hosting not just guests from around the country, but meetings of groups as diverse as the California State Society and group dedicated to preserving George Washington’s birthplace.
The hotel did get some press in this time, such as when a couple of burglars intent on robbing its lunch room were chased off by quick action of the night clerk. That not all the employees were quite as anxious to uphold the law came four years later, when a Senate Hotel bell boy, Alexander King, was arrested for selling whiskey to its guests, in contravention of the Volstead Act.
The main clientele seems to have been young, single men working for the government, and the hotel is not infrequently listed as the address of the groom in local matrimonial listings. Some draftees during the First World War listed the hotel as their home, as well.
However, occasionally, there were other guests, as well. For instance, when May Dilliplane, wife of First World War veteran Lloyd Dilliplane, came to town to try to get the insurance money owed them while Lloyd was in the hospital, she and her two children stayed at the Senate Hotel until her paltry savings ran out. One hopes that the sad story about her that ran in the Washington Times in 1921 spurred others to help the family. 1921 was, overall, not a good one for the hotel. There was one successful suicide attempt, and one that was thwarted at the last minute.
More stories on this quiet hotel next week.