Washington ยท Lafayette Square
The Hay-Adams
A 1927 apartment-hotel across Lafayette Square from the White House, built where H. H. Richardson's houses for John Hay and Henry Adams stood.
- Built
- 1927Building permit issued February 14, 1927 (Mihran Mesrobian, architect; Wardman Construction Co.; $900,000); D.C. HPO dates the building 1927. Opened in 1928 as the Hay-Adams House apartment-hotel.
- Style
- Italian Renaissance Revival
- Architect
- Mihran Mesrobian
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Area
- Lafayette Square
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district; Local landmark
The story
In 1884 H. H. Richardson designed adjoining Romanesque houses here for John Hay, Lincoln’s private secretary and later Secretary of State, and the historian Henry Adams; their salons drew Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain and Henry James. Developer Harry Wardman bought and razed both houses in 1927 and built the 138-room Hay-Adams House apartment-hotel to Mihran Mesrobian’s design; wood paneling from the Hay house was reused in what is now the Hay-Adams Room. The hotel closed in 2001 for a $20 million renovation by Thomas Pheasant and reopened in 2002; the B.F. Saul organization later bought it and added the Top of the Hay roof terrace.
The ghost story
Washington ghost lore holds that Marian 'Clover' Adams, who died in 1885 before the Adams house that once stood on this site was finished, lingers in the hotel; staff are said to notice a scent of almonds and a lobby chandelier that sways on its own.
Source: gwtoday.gwu.edu
Good to know
- Parking: on-site paid
- Address: 800 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
Things to do
Tours in Washington, D.C.
Tours are sold by GetYourGuide and run by local operators. If you book one through these links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Ratings and prices are GetYourGuide’s.
Sources (4)
- https://maps2.dcgis.dc.gov/dcgis/rest/services/DCGIS_DATA/Historic_WebMercator/MapServer/10/query?where=ADDRESS%3D%27800+16TH+STREET+NW%27&outFields=ADDRESS%2CDATE_%2CARCHITECT%2COWNER%2CSTORIES%2CPURPOSE%2CNAME&f=json
- https://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/Inventory%202009%200%20Alpha%20Version%2003%2011.pdf
- https://www.hayadams.com/our-hotel/history/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hay%E2%80%93Adams_Hotel
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.